
Most memorable journeys (Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis)
Explore every episode of Most memorable journeys
Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
---|---|---|---|
07 Mar 2023 | Yuliya Yelistratova - The professional triathlete, Olympian and my quarantine neighbour | 00:34:03 | |
When I got locked up in a two week’s quarantine coming back from Argentina in March 2020 at the Aldiana Hotel in Cyprus and wasn’t allowed to leave my hotel room, I used to hear someone go outside in the morning and come back after a while. I found out that my room neighbour was Yuliya Oleksandrivna Yelistratova, a Ukrainian professional triathlete, European U23 champion of the year 2009, Number 1 in the ITU ranking (women's standing) of the year 2009 with by far the highest “total number of races” (6), several times national champion in various categories and member of the Ukrainian national team. She competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. At this point the Tokyo summer Olympics were not cancelled yet and Yulyia was allowed to go running and swimming in the morning and she had her bicycle on the balcony of the hotel. We started talking and she actually came to me for a hypnotherapy session after we were released. I decided to get back in touch with Yuliya and find out how she and her family are doing and coping with this sad war situation. Tune in and find out. https://olympics.com/en/athletes/yuliya-yelistratova https://www.instagram.com/yuliyayelistratova/?hl=en | |||
15 Oct 2024 | Rick Sharpe - Air Traffic Controller and Storyteller | 00:38:30 | |
Life is a journey and we all have our stories. Sharing those stories helps others be brave enough to break their own silences. Let's be kind to ourselves, each other and make this world a better place. He has a desire for self development, mental health awareness and a budding passion to learn more about himself and others in order to make himself a better human being and in extension, help others be better human beings. I met Rick during a Master Coach Training in Dubai and was fascinated by his stories about living in #Baghdad, #Afghanistan and countries in the Gulf. He was born in Canada and currently he is stationed in #Bahrain but who knows where he will be going next. We share the love for the Middle East and Gulf States because of their beautiful hospitality, their colors and their history. | |||
13 Aug 2024 | Susan Treadgold - The High Performing Woman | 00:33:08 | |
Susan spent 16 years gaining extensive corporate and management experience at a senior level in Equity Sales, Research and Corporate Marketing in investment banks DLJ, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. Passionate about helping people reach their full potential, she has developed training courses, facilitated development workshops and mentored high potential individuals throughout her career. Between jobs, she travelled to France to learn French and fell in love with Carcassonne where she spent the money that she had saved to buy a studio flat in London on a house. Today, she is an experienced and professionally qualified corporate and executive coach, award-winning speaker, best-selling author and transformational trainer. She is passionate about creating sustainable peak performance and success for clients by helping them increase their confidence, energy and impact. In addition to one-to-one executive coaching and VIP strategy days, she runs a High Performing Woman program for women in business, bespoke workshops/speeches, an annual De-Stress and Assess retreat, and a series of corporate career masterclasses for clients such as Barclays Bank, Expedia, Jefferies, JP Morgan, Man Grp, Deutsche Bank and InvescoPerpetual. | |||
02 Aug 2022 | Demetris Pierides - Patron of the Arts, multitalented Cosmopolitan and defender of Cyprus' archeological treasures | 00:33:07 | |
Dimitris Pierides is 85, an absolutely charming gentleman of the old sort with a beautiful mind and a heart full of amazing stories. We talked about Art, cars, Cyprus and life, definitely worth listening to. He is the son of one of the most emblematic families of Cyprus, born in 1937, luckily in a house that mostly resembled a museum and belonged to his grandfather Dimitirs Pierides, who also bore the name of his own grandfather, a renowned scholar of the 19th century, who was one of Kapodistria’s partners and an antiquities collector. Their colonial home in Larnaka was filled with antiquities that on one hand made it hard for little Dimitris to play in the house, but on the other, prepared him to welcome his illustrious destiny. “Those were the years of innocence” he remembers. “Growing up in a big home, filled to the brim with ancient Cypriot artifacts collected by five generations of Pierides’, it was obviously not the ideal playground for my friends and I. At the age of 18, Dimitris Pierides enrolled at the University of Lausanne where he studied Economics and Law. He soon became very popular and during the period between 1957 and 1960 he served as chairman of the Greek Students’ Union. According to him, those were wonderful years that formed the basis of his subsequent cosmopolitan spirit. “I studied in the heart of Europe, in an exquisitely civilized place. I frequently travelled by car to many of the neighboring countries, very often to Paris and London. I also travelled to Germany, as well as Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria. As for Italy, the European jewel, I have visited her dozens of times over the years” he adds with emphasis. In the summer of 1974, the Turkish invasion changed everything. Dimitris Pierides emerged from the ashes, not unscathed though: “A huge part of my fortune (approximately 85%) was simply gone in just a single morning of August 1974. I was bluntly told then, that whatever I had created during my most productive years, no longer belonged to me” he remembers. But the great damage to Cyprus’ historical heritage had already started in the mid-60’s. According to him it was some years before the invasion, in 1964 to be precise, when Turkish-Cypriots isolated themselves in their villages and systematic large-scale illegal excavations took place, making antiquity smuggling a thriving activity. “I managed then and for a period of 10 years, to prevent the smuggling of over 600 unique ancient Cypriot artifacts, by buying them”. From then on, “things went from bad to worse”. https://www.visitcyprus.com/index.php/en/discovercyprus/culture/museums-galleries/111-pierides-museum-bank-of-cyprus-cultural-foundation | |||
09 Apr 2024 | Pauline Sawaya - A resilient Lebanese Lady | 00:38:57 | |
Pauline is an award-winning self-development Senior Executive/expert, Business Coach , Neuroencoding Speciaist, coach trainer, firewalker, mentor, and senior transformational trainer with over two and a half decades of experience at senior executive strategic levels in local and multinational organizations. The founder of Swift Shift Coaching & consultancy Ltd, and the Success Academy providing state of the art accredited life changing programs Pauline has a wealth of experience spanning over two decades in both local and multinational organizations. Widely recognized as an esteemed leader, Coach, Consultant, and trainer who has helped executives, senior managers and employees achieve their career aspirations and personal growth through coaching, mentoring, NLP and training. With her extensive knowledge, she has been instrumental in guiding organizations through structural changes, developing effective strategies, and fostering team building, leadership and culture change. She is an Accredited Master Coach, Master NLP, Leader, consultant, HR, transformational trainer and Neuroencoder. Pauline's passion lies in elevating the self-development world and empowering both individuals and corporations to make a Swift Shift from their current position to where they want to be, and beyond. Her highly experiential, practical approach creates a professional yet fun self-transformation journey that sets her apart always. Pauline holds a Bachelors & Master’s degree in Business Management from Notre Dame University as well as several coach certifications,I, Master NLP Practitioner by the American Board of NLP, Time Line Therapy & Hypnotherapist Practitioner, Accredited InternationalTrainer, Mentor Coach, Laughter Yoga Leader & Neuroencoding Specialist , Firewalker.. Pauline is a mentor at the Blessings Foundation for Women empowerment, Mentor at the Challenge to Change, Mentor Coach, Member of the Women Leaders Council, Member of IWCLondon, Ex Vice President & member of Cyprus International Women of Today -CIWOT, Founding member of the BPW English Speaking Club Cyprus, Board Member at the ICF Cyprus Chapter, Member of the Life Winners Association She is a senior expert at several top universities in the region. | |||
18 Mar 2025 | Morgan Garrett - Wanderlust Inc. | 00:36:00 | |
Morgan is a nurse practitioner who loves to travel, write, and capture moments through photography, she is committed to assisting individuals in achieving balance in their lives through coaching and consulting. Her personalized lifestyle and wellness coaching approach is designed to empower you to adopt a growth centered and fulfilling life through experience and creativity. What makes her business unique is how she can tie travel and creativity into your transformation through her blog, travel consultations, inspiring photo gallery, and handmade gifts. She is also an award winning travel photographer. Her recent photography in Africa has been nominated for another award once more. She believes that every human should go on Safari in Africa once in their lifetime. She thoroughly enjoys helping people through challenges, overcome fears, and become their best selves. | |||
27 Aug 2024 | Anna- Maria Athanasiou - 7 books later not writing in secret anymore | 00:38:52 | |
Anna-Maria Athanasiou wrote her first books, The Waiting for Summer novels in secret, firstly because she never thought she’d finish them and secondly, it was a completely new territory for her. Throughout her life Anna-Maria had regularly created scenarios and stories in her head, thinking that one day she would finally put them down on paper. Eventually, in the September of 2011 she took the plunge and started to write down an idea that she'd been creating for almost ten years. Waiting for Summer books one and two are the result of her small idea, and she finally had them published in September 2013 and June 2014. The love story and her characters, Sylvie and Nick, captured the hearts and enthusiasm of her readers, spurring Anna-Maria to carry on with her writing. Anna-Maria has since been asked to collaborate with other authors on four charity anthologies and is an Inspirational Global Woman Nominee. She lives in Cyprus and has two sons, a Golden Retriever and seven cats, and has penchant for cake, tea, whisky, wine and a healthy obsession with shoes. Anna-Maria loves the fantasy land of romantic fiction, and is passionate about bringing her stories and characters to life. | |||
05 Jul 2022 | Jay Noland - About The Science of Getting rich | 00:41:04 | |
I met Jay Noland on Clubhouse and liked the sound of everything he said but I also liked the sound of his voice. He grew up on a hog farm in Kentucky with his grandparents. The wealth his grandparents had was not in their bank account, but in the lessons and values they instilled in him… INSTILLED in him as was the determination to succeed. He was naturally gifted in sports and mostly as a baseball player. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1988. During his career, he also played with the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners. He won 2 Minor League Championships in 1991 and 1992 with San Diego Padres. He was the back to back Stolen Base League Champion in 1991 and 1992 as well. He signed his Major League Contract (ML Invite) with Seattle Mariners in 1995. He retired from baseball due to a career ending injury in 1995. Jay Noland started his entrepreneurial career in November 1995. He has since built multiple multi-million dollar companies. His main focus is on Confidence Training. He believes "a strong person can do anything." He believes in experiencing life all-out, all the time, and he believes in anyone who is willing to take steps to believe in themselves. He says true success is mastering the 6 pillars of life. The 6 pillars are emotional, mental, physical, social, financial, and spiritual. Check out Jay's annotated version of Wallace D. Wattles "The Science of getting rich" https://www.amazon.com/Science-Getting-Rich-Annotated-Universal-ebook/dp/B0B1TCC4F3 | |||
18 May 2021 | A failed job interview and a trip through Europe | 00:24:39 | |
Everything happens for a reason. I didn’t get a job as a Lufthansa flight attendant but I got the opportunity to travel to various cool cities around Europe as a tour guide. I have learned to grab opportunities when they appear. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Twitter: exinal | |||
24 Oct 2023 | Yelena Kalendareva - The fascinating journey of Yelena and Aneley Cosmetics | 00:36:29 | |
She was born in the ex Soviet Union and moved to the US as a teenager. In this episode we talk about how her journey began and what an amazing life she created for herself and her beautiful family. Yelena is a dedicated mom of 6 wonderful kids, a wife to an amazing, supportive husband and a local and international Healthy Beauty Expert. She answers all my questions about being married to an orthodox jew and how life is beautiful for them. Initially she studied to become a psychologist but after graduating she realised that she only loved the concept of psychology, not the actual work. After a few detours, Yelena found her passion in the cosmetics industry and established her own company which she decided to call Aneley Cosmetic. Aneley Cosmetics is made with pharmaceutical-grade minerals that are perfect for use immediately after skin treatments, such as facials, waxing, microdermabrasion. It is vegan, cruelty-free, PETA certified, Kosher for Passover, natural, organic, ethically sourced minerals, anti-inflammatory and breathable. It does not clog pores, and it’s perfect for sensitive, allergy-prone and problematic skin. the powder products are also approved for use on Shabbat for Jewish Orthodox women. https://aneleycosmetics.com | |||
19 Dec 2023 | Fernando Diez - About Galapagos and Patagonia | 00:37:46 | |
Born and raised amidst the natural wonders of the Galapagos Islands, Fernando Diez is a proud Ecuadorian who has dedicated his adult life to sharing the unique beauty and rare wildlife of this enchanting archipelago with adventurous travelers from every corner of the globe. Fernando is the proud son of the founders of Quasar Expeditions, a high-end expedition cruising company that pioneered small group travel in the Galapagos Islands 37 years ago. His parents dream? To show this precious eco system to the world, ensuring its preservation for future generations through responsible tourism. Beyond his role at Quasar Expeditions, Fernando is loving father of 3, a proud husband and a man of many passions. He is a skilled photographer, an avid scuba diver, a high-altitude climber and overall just a lover of nature and the outdoors. A natural story teller at heart, Fernando has an ability to bring the stories of this unique archipelago to life, connecting listeners with the magic of the place that possessed Charles Darwin's mind. | |||
31 Jan 2023 | Celebrating myself - The 10 best episodes and where do we go from here | 00:39:00 | |
I can't believe that I have actually uploaded 100 Episodes and that i am still having so much fun. I am really looking forward to the next 100 and I am also talking about which episodes had the most downloads so far. I started my podcast during the pandemic because when I couldn't travel anymore, I felt like I was missing a limb and decided that if i can't travel, at least I can talk about it I was a tour guide for 11 years in my twenties and I worked as a conference interpreter all over Europa for 17 years. I am the Regional Director of the Global Woman Cyprus and attend conferences all over the world, I am an international motivational speaker and definitely a travel addict. I also made sure that my two beautiful children love to travel and as soon as they were big enough, I showed them the world. I have had some really cool guests in some of my episodes, just check the list and listen. I appreciate your loyalty and promise that I will keep entertaining you the best way I can. Happy listening! Check out what else I do and support me if you can! https://thesoulkit.com/ | |||
25 Apr 2023 | Panos Almyrantis - General Manager at Grand Hyatt Athens | 00:36:00 | |
Panos Almyrantis is an acclaimed professional in the tourism industry and has an outstanding academic background with several recognitions and a multi-year experience in the management of top hotels in Greece and abroad. Committed to promoting authentic hospitality, Panos is also chairman of the organizing committee of the "Greek Hotel of the Year Awards", a position he has held since 2020. Panos holds several distinctions in sales management, operations and hotel management in Greece and abroad. In 2014, he was named European Hotel Manager by EHMA. He is currently the President of the European Hotel Managers Association. https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/greece/grand-hyatt-athens/athgh/maps-parking-transportation | |||
07 Dec 2021 | Josh Rosen - or should I say Donald Trump, or maybe Joe Biden? | 00:26:02 | |
Josh Rosen is a comedian/impressionist based out of South Florida. He uses his talent and mimicry to portray spot-on impressions of dozens of individuals including President Joe Biden, former Presidents Donald J. Trump and Barack Obama, Woody Allen, Larry David, Rodney Dangerfield, Matthew McConaughey, Jimmy Fallon, Owen Wilson, and Bernie Sanders to name a few. When I met him on Clubhouse, I knew that I would have to share him with you and make you laugh. Josh performs in comedy clubs across the country having recently opened up for comics Jeff Ross and Michael Rapaport at the South Florida Improvs. He posts daily content on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Twitter, Clubhouse and YouTube. (social media links below) https://linktr.ee/JoshRosenImpressions Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Social media IG: https://www.instagram.com/joshrosenimpressions/ FB: https://m.facebook.com/joshrosenimpressions YouTube ttps://youtu.be/qBlzgCJi640 Clubhouse https://www.clubhouse.com/@joshuarosen https://mobile.twitter.com/trumpimpression TikTok: @JoshRosenImpressions | |||
21 Nov 2023 | Niaz Hekmat - Born in Iran, living in Dubai, in love with Turkey | 00:38:57 | |
I met Niaz in Dubai where she lives with her family during our Master Coach training. We called her the Rumi girl because she is passionate about anything Rumi. She was born in Iran and is married to a man from Turkey, living in Dubai, how much more international can it get? Niaz Hekmat is a trained and certified RSCI Master Life coach, a Relationship Coach, Master NLP Practitioner, Master Hypnotherapist,and Master Time Paradigm Technique Practitioner. She has 20+ years of research and study of various related sciences such as psychology, ancient philosophies and teachings, human motivation , quantum physics, and psychoneuroimmunology, and 1000+ hours of coaching . Hekmat like many of us, worked in a high-stress job in a management position for years however a series of life-threatening health attacks, woke her up and finally pushed her to take control of her life. She structured her passion and years of research into the human psyche and happiness, and found her true self through a rebirth. Due to her personal interest in learning about human happiness, motivation and the sciences behind it, from a young age, and her own challenges in the corporate world, Hekmat realized her calling was to help others learn to live a happy purposeful life and realise their true innate powers. Today she has combined her coaching skills with her years of research to reach out to the conscious and unconscious minds of others in her talks and seminars. She strives to train and educate others about their true potential and most importantly how to Believe it Access it, and Own it. She is also transferring her learnings through a book she is currently working on, her blog, workshops and retreats in Dubai. She is also working on a YouTube channel where she plans to make a Q&A session for her followers. | |||
11 Mar 2025 | Andrew Serra - FDNY Fire Fighter during 9/11 | 00:38:21 | |
Andrew Serra is the author of several books, including The Dead Florentines, La Petite Parisienne, and Zuccotti Park. In 2018, he published Finding John, a memoir of his experience as a firefighter responding to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He has been featured on FOX-5 NY Good Day Wake Up, NY1 News Around the Boroughs, and Z100 Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children. He is a retired New York City fire captain and since retiring from the Fire Department, him and his wife spend 2-3 months per year living in Italy. Him and his wife have long considered traveling as a gateway to understanding and seeing the world in a different light. After many years of living with the effects of 9/11, he wrote and published a memoir about his experiences. The writing process was therapeutic and helped him move forward. The newest book is a historical novel about a terrible factory fire in 1911 where 146 (mostly young immigrant women) were killed. Many of the survivors went on to fight for changes to fire safety laws that still exist today. | |||
04 May 2021 | Good Bye Cyprus and hello Cyprus | 00:21:58 | |
These beautiful Cyprus summers were carefree and entertaining. They had a big impact on my life and I made lifelong friendships. I worked very hard and established myself within the company. I was ready to go further and explore the world even more. I was growing up.... Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Twitter: exinal | |||
15 Feb 2022 | Nesting on my island in the sun and getting ready for babies | 00:20:01 | |
In August 1994, we had driven our green Range Rover from England via Switzerland to Cyprus and I had moved in permanently with my then-not-yet husband. I started working as a Sales Executive at the Sheraton Hotel in Limassol and luckily also got to do a little traveling for this job which otherwise I didn't like and decided to give up after not even a year. I was 35 years old and partly ready to settle down and on the other side terrified to commit to anything "forever" because I hadn't lived anywhere for more than 2 years in one stretch since I had left home at the age of 18. I needed a little time to think and decided to get in touch with the tour operator which I had worked for and asked to be assigned to a round trip in the US and was offered a tour that started in Boston and ended in Toronto. Little did I know that I was already pregnant when I left Cyprus. My then not yet husband joined me at the end of the round trip in Toronto and I broke the news to him on the 34th floor in a downtown Sheraton. He nearly fainted but got used to the thought after spending some time in New York and Boston before we both went back to Cyprus. Long story short, two years later, me, the globetrotting party girl was a mother of two babies.... tune in and smile. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis If you want to support me, buy one of my products, here's the website: https://thesoulkit.com/shop-now/ | |||
11 Oct 2022 | Dick Atkins - What happens when you end up in jail in a foreign country | 00:39:26 | |
Traveling without insurance is a gamble. Nobody knows that better than my friend Dick Atkins, owner of Dick Atkins, Esq. an attorney from Philadelphia who specializes in assisting companies and individuals on legal issues in foreign countries. He is an owner of International Recoveries, LLC and lectures at travel insurance conventions. He is on the Board of Directors for the United States Travel Insurance Association. Atkins has literally been bailing out North Americans and North American Corporations abroad since over 30 Years. He also represents foreign nationals on U.S. soil. U.S. Embassies, U.S. Insurance and other large corporate entities. For those who remember the movie "Midnight Express" and how Billy Hayes, a young American got caught trying to smuggle 4 1/2 pounds of hashish out of Turkey in 1970. Thrown into a hellhole of a Turkish prison, he's tortured by sadistic guards, betrayed by corrupt lawyers and toyed with by capricious judges before he finally escapes. This movie is based on a real story. Each year, on average, 1,000 Americans are arrested in foreign countries on drug charges. While many are quickly released, roughly 1, 600 are currently rotting away in foreign prisons, often in conditions similar to those endured by Hayes. Prison conditions in much of the world are pretty horrible, acknowledged Dick Atkins, and the criminal justice systems in a lot of countries are just as bizarre as the one in the movie. It's important to remember that when you travel abroad, your rights as an American citizen don't come with you." | |||
24 Mar 2021 | The journey begins - Life is beautiful and in the end we will only regret the things we didn't do. | 00:09:17 | |
Welcome to my Podcast. My name is Elisabeth and I would like to invite you to join me and listen to my most memorable journeys. But how did all this start? I was definitely not born with a travel gene. I was born in a small village in Switzerland, but I realized very early that I wasn't cut out for village life. I wanted to see the world, and when I started learning languages at school, I knew that this was for me. I wanted more. I started working at a very early age, and my first job was clearing tables in a ski lodge and there were some American guys working with me and I was just so fascinated by the way they talked and started learning a few words and started being able to communicate with them a little bit. With this podcast, I want to entertain you and take you with me on past and contemporary journeys, it may prompt memories of a past holiday or activate your wanderlust. Let me remind you that life is beautiful and that in the end, we will only regret the things that we didn't do and not the things we did. Life is too short to stay in the same place all the time. We have nothing to lose and a world to see. So please subscribe to my channel, and if you have a fascinating story to tell, get in touch with me. You can find me on: Twitter: exinal | |||
01 Apr 2021 | Cyprus - Finally a nice place to stay, things were looking up | 00:27:51 | |
In this episode, I am talking about how life in Cyprus got better and better and how the island developed. I was definitely there to stay for a while even though I had to convince the head office every year that I was not replaceable. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Twitter: exinal Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQ Website: https://thesoulkit.com/ | |||
17 Oct 2023 | Barbara Schertenleib - From Switzerland to Thailand by bicycle | 00:47:09 | |
I don’t even remember how I found this amazing lady but once I started following here, I just got more and more impressed by her way of thinking and her traveling. She has a Masters degree in Education and also works as a nurse anaesthetist. She cycled through Australia, New Zealand and Morocco but her most memorable journey is definitely cycling from Switzerland to Thailand, 16’008 km in 7 months In this podcast episodes she tells me that she started cycling because she couldn’t afford a car and then it became her ultimate passion. There are so many things that we don’t realize when someone travels by bike, crossing borders, police behaviour, sleeping near petrol stations in Iran because she felt save etc, etc. #cycling #thailand #traveling | |||
13 Apr 2021 | Rob Moore - The disruptive Entrepreneur - I call him Mr. Podcast | 00:29:52 | |
Rob Moore is Mr Podcast, The Disruptive Entrepreneur with 700 episodes and this is my 7th episode; he inspired me to start a podcast with his course and came to talk to me about his most memorable journey and lots more. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Twitter: exinal | |||
23 Apr 2024 | Emilia Papadopoulos - Senior Broadcast Journalist at the BBC - After some globetrotting, the babies came... | 00:39:33 | |
I met Emilia at the Cyprus Diaspora Forum where she was an amazing emcee; thank you Paul Lambis for getting us together. I instantly fell in love with her beautiful, honest and down to earth personality. In this podcast she talks very openly about her struggle to get pregnant. Emilia is an award-winning Television and Radio journalist and presenter. She is a Senior Broadcast Journalist at the BBC and a News Correspondent for BBC News, BBC London News and BBC World. She also reports on BBC Breakfast, the BBC One O'clock News, Outside Source, Radio 2, Radio 4, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 5Live and is a guest presenter on Inside Out London. Before joining BBC London as a Sports Journalist and producer in 2009, Emilia was part of the Radio Wimbledon team and also covered The World Rally Championships. She's reported on the London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics, The London Marathon, Wimbledon, Queens, The ATP World Tour Finals, The Champions League, The Premier League, The NFL at Wembley, The Queen's Diamons Jubilee, The Epsom Derby and The BBC Sports Personality of The Year Awards. She also covered the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations at Sandringham in 2016 & 2017 for BBC News and presented the BBC's Inside Chelsea FC, West Ham FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC Podcasts on iTunes. In 2015, Emilia was commended by the judges of the CIRCOM Prix Awards as European Rising Star Journalist of the year. | |||
22 Aug 2023 | Chris Droussiotis - About Japanese culture, the American dream and Cypriot jokes | 00:35:25 | |
I met Chris (Christie, as we call him) about 40 years ago when he was doing an internship in a hotel in Limassol, Cyprus because he studied hospitality in the US. At the time when the tourism industry in Cyprus was booming, it seemed appropriate to study hotel management. However, the Cypriot hospitality industry wasn’t his destiny, he ended up becoming a very successful banker, working for various Japanese banks and stayed in the US. In April 2018, Chris left SMBC and joined, as a Senior Managing Partner, Kinisis Ventures Limited (KV), a business accelerator company that helps international start-ups expand in the U.S. market. In addition to Columbia University, Chris is an adjunct professor for various colleges and universities including Fordham University, Baruch College, and Seton Hall University. In his free time, Chris loves to tell jokes, mostly in Greek and sometimes in English. | |||
10 May 2022 | Farah Shammas - Managing Director at St Raphael Resort and Marina and so much more | 00:37:19 | |
Farah Shammas is the Managing Director of the St Raphael Resort and Marina in Limassol, Cyprus an award winning 5Stars resort which was created by her renowned grandfather Shukri Hanna Shammas who was featured in who is who before Google, when we had books. She is also an award winning motivational speaker and author. That alone sounds impressive but she is so much more than that. She is a passionate mother to her three children and a huge advocate for veganism. She is the author of the book, "40 delicious vegan recipes: Cook book and guide" and she recently launched a children's book called "Theo the Pig" for which she did the art work herself. Her "Cook Vegan" Facebook group has over 6000 members. Last but not least, she is an amazing human who contributes as much as she possible can and treats everyone with kindness, respect und responsibility. She is a very supportive member of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and I am proud to call her my friend. https://www.straphael.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/cookvegan https://www.amazon.com/40-Delicious-Vegan-Recipes-Guide/dp/B08ZBJFMFS Theo the Pig https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_HG6GTKE1QV91P35Q5PP2 https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_ZN2DAXZF4KZGKZMBZCY4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_YBNWWWXD0QP17DA3TST6 | |||
18 Jun 2024 | Kirsten Rudberg - The Meaning of "Third Culture Kids" | 00:36:49 | |
Talking about growing up in Lahore and Guyana, what it means to be a third culture kid. Her childhood was informed by the Islamic call to prayer and her education at the American School had her playing with kids from all over the world of every color, creed and religion. When one grows up like this, is it any wonder that the world becomes enchanted? That other humans become enchanted? She is endlessly thrilled with meeting other people and getting to know who they are and what makes them tick. She finds that developing relationships and building respectful community, as well as joy-filled community is essential to her being happy. She is a podcaster, screenwriter, author and so much more. Also talking about walking the Camino and her adventures in France, much growth and experience await. | |||
01 Oct 2024 | Cole Sjoholm - A Year of Solo Travel Across Seven Continents | 00:35:58 | |
When Cole Sjoholm was asked, "Would you go?" his answer transformed his life in ways he never imagined. In 2023, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, setting foot on all seven continents in just one year—solo. From the vibrant cities of Europe to the icy expanses of Antarctica, and from the sun-drenched landscapes of Australia to the bustling streets of the Far East, Cole completed 71 flights, covered 110,246 miles, and spent 167 nights exploring the world. This wasn't just about ticking items off a bucket list; it was about discovering a new way of living and filling his bucket with unforgettable experiences. Discover the incredible story behind Cole's epic adventure and the profound lessons he learned along the way. His journey isn't just a travelogue—it's a testament to the transformative power of stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the unknown. Join Cole Sjoholm, mortgage lender, travel blogger, photographer, and public speaker, as he shares his remarkable experiences and insights. Dive into his story at http://www.mortgageguytravelstheworld.com and get inspired to start your own adventure today! | |||
20 Jun 2023 | Sahara Rose de Vore - Hey You, Just Go!: 80 Countries by Age 30! | 00:39:17 | |
Sahara Rose De Vore is a Wellness Travel Coach and the Founder of The Travel Coach Network, a global community of travel coaches. Sahara went from broke college student to traveling to 84 countries solo to becoming the CEO of her travel businesses. She believes that there is more to a travel career than just blogging and booking trips which led her to creating the world's first and only ICF accredited certification program for travel coaches. Sahara is a published author, global speaker, TEDx speaker, and has been in over 160+ media outlets for her travel and business expertise including Forbes, Travel Weekly, Conde Nast Traveler, and CNN Travel. Sahara was also named one of 2023’s Most Influential Women in Travel by TravelPulse. Website: https://thetravelcoachnetwork.com/ website: https://sahararosetravels.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sahararosethetravelcoach/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetravelcoachnetwork/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahara-rose-de-vore-4b8bb394/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaharaRoseTheTravelCoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelcoachnetwork Podcast: https://anchor.fm/thetravelcoachnetwork Free Beginner's Guide to Travel Coaching: https://thetravelcoachnetwork.mykajabi.com/main-email-series-and-workbook | |||
11 Apr 2023 | Deborah Ives - Over 50, traveling solo and loving it | 00:38:53 | |
I found Deborah Ives because of her huge Facebook group Solo In Style: Women Over 50 Travelling Solo & Loving It She was married for almost 20 years and her ex and her took the most fabulous trips to far flung places. When she found herself unexpectedly divorced 9 years ago she decided that if she wanted to have the kinds of holidays that she enjoyed she would have to take a leap of faith and travel solo. As a women it can definitely be a bit tricky to get the best out of the experience, and certainly a little unnerving if you are at a ‘certain age’ when considering it for the first time. Everything from choosing where to go, where to stay, where to eat, how to best see the sights, through to avoiding being the single person that the boring couple takes pity on and insists on including in all their meals! She didn’t want to backpack or share a room and she didn’t want to be herded around in a group following a strict, inflexible itinerary, but she wants to be safe and have some fun. She remembers how scary it felt and how nervous she was when she took her first solo trip, but it ended up being the most fabulous experience, etched in her memory for ever more (which is good because she dropped her camera overboard as she took a ferry to a remote dive island losing her camera and all her wonderful photos) and from then on she was hooked! | |||
11 Jun 2024 | Nitsa Anastasiades - Hiker, Traveller, and Lover of all things 'united'. | 00:36:32 | |
Nitsa Anastasiades was raised in UK, London. She holds an MSc in Creative Writing Fiction from Edinburgh. Her work has been commended by the Bridport Prize and Fish Publishing respectively. With her husband who is a school principal and her family she has worked and lived all over the world. She is the author of several books and a great storyteller. Hamster Rats & Other Stuff Going On … is her debut work, based on her experiences in 1980’s – 2000’s Britain. OUR FOREIGN BORDERS, a collection of stories set in cities around the world, concerning themes of loneliness, alienation, the sexes, landscape, culture, prejudice and displacement, influenced by her travels and working in 11 different countries teaching English, is her second book. She is now working on a novel - Sea With Salty Water - based on the Cypriot diaspora; her Greek Cypriot upbringing in 70’s Britain, juxtaposed with the 1974 coup in Cyprus. | |||
27 Feb 2024 | Dr. Marie Cosgrove - She didn't give up—she became greater | 00:35:32 | |
Marie Cosgrove is a certified Resilience Expert, Award-Winning International Speaker, Accomplished Entrepreneur, and Author. I met her 4 years ago at a Global Woman Summit in London and was fascinated from the beginning by her story and her kindness. As a single mom of four, she bought the company that fired her, bringing a unique perspective from her experience to small businesses and corporations. Marie has worked with some of the most recognizable Fortune 500 companies, including FedEx and Sprint. She has been very supportive and helpful whenever I get in touch with her. She helped me get in touch with Les Brown and record a podcast episode with him, I will never forget that. Marie's background of being born into poverty to a mentally disabled single mom and persevering through a turbulent childhood and abusive marriage; plus raising four children on her own while struggling to make it in the business world, taught her to not only survive but turn her experiences of adversity into advantage. Marie shares lessons and actionable strategies to help you find your greater fortune. | |||
15 Mar 2022 | Amanda Rachel Moss - The PR Badass who can make you famous | 00:37:31 | |
She is a multi-award-winning, highly connected journalist with 30 years of experience working with national media and PR. She started her training in a local newspaper before moving up to national newspapers and magazines including The Daily Star and The Daily Express She has worked in television production and post-production such as ITV and Carlton Food Network on programs such as Emmerdale, Heartbeat, and Hollyoaks She is the founder of the award-winning Lifestyle Magazine in Liverpool and Lifestyle magazine in Cyprus She is a regular contributor to radio and television panel discussions on consumer, fashion, lifestyle, and parenting issues ( as a mum of 6) She is the producer of Liverpool Fashion Week and runs shows in Los Angeles and Cyprus She understands the media and is well connected in the media and fashion industry. She is a social media micro-influencer with over 30,500 followers across her platforms, with high engagement levels She is a passionate, authentic professional who understands the needs of her clients. She maintains strong relationships with all her clients who return year after year, creating campaigns that make a difference. She makes it personal, your business is her business Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
06 Feb 2024 | Les Brown - You have Greatness within You | 00:28:01 | |
As one of the world’s most renowned motivational speakers, Les Brown is a dynamic personality and highly-sought-after resource in business and professional circles for Fortune 500 CEOs, small business owners, non-profit and community leaders from all sectors of society looking to expand opportunity. For three decades he has not only studied the science of achievement, he’s mastered it by interviewing hundreds of successful business leaders and collaborating with them in the boardroom translating theory into bottom-line results for his clients. As a premier Keynote Speaker and leading authority on achievement for audiences as large as 80,000—Les Brown energizes people to meet the challenges of the world around them. He skillfully weaves his compelling life story into the fabric of our daily lives. The thread is forever strengthened, touting why you can’t afford to be complacent and to aim high, achieve and actively make an impact on the world. Les Brown never tires of using his energies to transform the world, well-beyond the podium and public appearances, meshing traditional and social media to empower his audiences. Hundreds of thousands are watching him on YouTube and tens of thousands interact with him regularly on Facebook. He has a keen way of turning what he touches into gold. Over 20 years ago, he won a Chicago-area Emmy® for his unsurpassed fundraising pledge drive for the Public Broadcasting System. Followed by several bestselling books and hosting popular national talk shows on television and radio. Addressing audiences from Denmark to Dubai, Canada to the Caribbean, Les Brown is invited back again and again for his powerful message and the ability to connect deeply with people from all walks of life. It isn’t just his great smile and his way with words that motivates people to take action like never before; when people face roadblocks or adversity it is the depth of his knowledge on achievement that creates lasting results. Les Brown’s straight-from-the-heart, passion and high-energy, motivates audiences to step beyond their limitations and into their greatness in many ways. Over the past decade, Les has expanded his role from keynote speaker to Master Trainer, creating the kind of workshop learning experience that got him committed to personal-and-professional development many years earlier. His charisma, warmth and humor have transformed ordinary people into extraordinary achievers by using his own life, and his in-depth study of others’ challenges, to build an understanding of what works, what doesn’t work, and why. Revered as an icon by his colleagues, Brown received the National Speakers Association coveted Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE), and ultimately, its most prestigious Golden Gavel Award for achievement and leadership in communication. Toastmasters International also voted him one of the Top Five Outstanding Speakers. Worldwide. Legions of followers flock to stadiums and arenas to hear a man who never stops believing that with proper guidance and training you can achieve anything you desire in life. A stumbling block in elementary school was when he was mistakenly declared, “Educable mentally retarded,” teachers did not recognize the true potential of little Les Brown. However, he used determination, persistence and belief in his ability to go beyond being a sanitation worker to unleash a course of amazing achievements including broadcast station manager, political commentator and multi-term state representative in Ohio. Les Brown is committed to motivating and training today’s generation to be achievers and leaders as he introduces new audiences every day to It’s Not Over Until You Win, Up Thoughts for Down Times and Fight For Your Dream. Les Brown’s audio series,“Choosing Your Future,” remains his all-time bestseller for its acclaimed impact worldwide. In... | |||
19 Oct 2021 | Switzerland - When you get to know your country because of the Miss Hongkong Contest | 00:23:18 | |
I was born in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and it took me many years to realize that. As a child growing up with my grandparents who didn't know how to drive a car, I didn't have anyone to take show me around and after I became a tour guide at the age of 20, I spent the next 11 years mostly living all over the world. When I got assigned to an incoming tour from a group from Hongkong, I got very excited. I got the know my country while assisting the 20 contestants of the Miss Hongkong Contest 1991 and a few months later I showed my picture book country to a group of Germans who traveled with the Diner's Club and who had spent a lot of money on this tour. Travel with me from Lucerne to Mount Titlis and from St Moritz to Zermatt, find out why the Swiss don't export wine and why William Tell took out two arrows of his quiver. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
28 Jan 2025 | Adam Stuart - Quit the job, sell everything and travel around the world with a family of 6 for a year | 00:32:42 | |
Adam Stuart and his family recently returned home from a year of travel with a family of 6. He quit my dream job and left corporate America to do something crazy. They made stops in 18 countries. Now they are back in the US trying to acclimate to modern American life but also trying to bring the lessons they learned into their lives! In this episode he shares the story and talks about how we can live out our dreams with a bit of planning, risk, and luck! It's definitely an adventure of a lifetime. | |||
14 Jun 2022 | Angelos Loizou - Past Chairman of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and lots more | 00:37:22 | |
I loved going down memory lane with Angelos Loizou and talk about tourism in the eighties and how things have changed. Angelos is a Chartered Accountant Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He has retired from PWC in Cyprus from the position of COO and member of the Management Board. During his 30-year career with PwC he has served in a number of positions and was in charge for the development of various services of the firm including Corporate Legal and Secretarial, Local Compliance and Hospitality and Leisure Services. His role in Operations included interalia IT and Property management and has traveled extensively. He is a member and past Chairman of the board of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Cyprus, having wide experience on various financial consultancy matters. He has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (2014-2018) during which period tourism has increased by 63%. He has assisted the District of Pafos as the Project Manager, in their successful bidding endeavors as the European Capital of Culture for 2017. | |||
18 Jan 2022 | Markus Blum - With Horses in the Canadian Wilderness and Camels through the Australian Outback | 00:53:52 | |
Ever since their adventures have been broadcasted on Swiss Television SRF DOK, Markus and Sabrina Blum are well known throughout Switzerland. In this podcast, Markus Blum talks with pleasure and much enthusiasm about their impressive adventures in the wilderness of Canada and the Outback of Australia but also about how it all began and how he met Sabrina in Australia. Which real outdoor fan does not dream of the legendary wilderness of Canada! Sabrina and Markus Blum have fulfilled this dream. Inspired by the world bestseller “The Snow Child” by the adventurer Nicolas Vanier, the Swiss family goes on a great journey and follows the traces of the snow child to his homeland. On a farm they learn the vital handling of riding- and pack horses. Together with their 18-month-old daughter and five newly purchased horses, they ride through the magnificent mountain world of British Columbia, without meeting a single person. Despite the heavily loaded horses and the food they carry, the family is dependent on feeding on nature. Their food often consists of what they have caught or hunted: Fish, grouse and ptarmigan. On their way they experience countless adventures until they finally find the dreamlike little log cabin at Lake Thukada. In recent years, the family has lived not only in summer and autumn, but also in deep winter and high-risk spring in the Cassiar Mountains of western Canada, and also spent many months in the log cabin at Lake Thukada. After their trips to Canada, Markus and Sabrina Blum wanted to set off for another horse adventure with their two daughters. But a new idea had to be born when their youngest daughter suddenly got a horse allergy. Their new plan: Crossing the Australian Outback with camels and a wagon. Six months of preparation on site and a three-month trip through impressive desert landscapes follow. In November 2016, the Blum family leaves for Australia. While the children Amira and Naira go to school in the small South Australian village of Hawker, Sabrina and Markus start training untamed camels coming directly from the desert. Dealing with the still wild, stubborn animals and temperatures up to 50° Celsius demanded everything from them. After six months of hard work, great persistence and many setbacks, Markus and Sabrina harness the camels in front of the wagon they have built especially for this purpose and travel with their children through the impressive desert areas of Australia for three months. On this journey they trust in themselves and in the reliability of the animals, far away from the rhythm of everyday life. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
22 Nov 2022 | Dr. Olivier Seiler - The Life of an Air Ambulance Doctor | 00:31:22 | |
I met Dr Olivier Seiler at an International travel insurance conference to which I accompany my husband Hector every year. In a restaurant in Athens he recited parts of the Odyssey in ancient Greek and I was impressed, not only by the ancient Greek but by his kindness. For nearly 30 years, Olivier Seiler was the Chief Medial Doctor of REGA, which is a private, non-profit air rescue service that provides emergency medical assistance to people in Switzerland. Having a travel insurance is important because when the unexpected happens, it is good to receive the necessary care. In this episode we talk with Olivier about how he decided to become a "flying doctor" and why he did this challenging but also very rewarding job for nearly 30 years. It is not an easy task to be confined to the space of an air ambulance jet even though it is equipped with every possible medical appliance. We also talk about the importance of good communication between doctors and respecting local customs and practices anywhere in the world. https://www.rega.ch/en | |||
17 Sep 2024 | Becky Lukovic - Tracking Gorillas Down the Mountain in Uganda | 00:37:36 | |
Becky Lukovic is a 20 year veteran in the travel industry. She started On the Go Travel Company in Indiana in 2001 after an “aha” moment in Sorrento, Italy. Standing on a bridge overlooking the sparkling Bay of Naples, Becky realized planning independent and culture-centric travel was her passion. In the next 20 years, she would use that passion to design unique, custom adventures for her clients. Becky developed an extensive book of luxury travel connections and became involved in the American Society of Travel Agents, held a position on the Mid-America Chapter board, and served on the national ASTA communications committee in the early 2000s. In 2010, Becky rebranded her company as Bella Travel Planning, LLC. in Carmel, Indiana to reflect her passion for beautiful, engaging, life-changing travel. In the summer of 2015, she and her husband moved cross-country to beautiful Atlanta, Georgia to start a new adventure. Becky designs adventures for her clients across seven continents ranging from private scuba dives in Costa Rica to tiger sanctuaries in India to the 2008 Summer Olympics in China to cruises at the bottom of the world – Antarctica. She is a specialist in Culinary travel, Wine tasting trips, Italy, France, South Africa, Adventure travel, Antarctica, Incentive trips and meetings, and girlfriend getaways. Recently, Becky trekked in the mountains of Uganda to visit a family of Silverback Gorillas—what an adventure. She’s been on land in Antarctica photographing colonies on Penguins, and explored countless off-the-beaten path European Ski resorts and Christmas Villages. A well-crafted tasting menu with wine parings are her love language and she counts many hotel owners and general managers as personal friends. A quick google of her name will reveal how many times she’s been quoted for industry publications as well as being featured on the cover of Luxury Travel Advisor Magazine. Her mantra is “travel, like fine wine, should be savored as an experience and not gulped down in a hurry.” Becky is a former member of the Saveur Magazine Travel Advisory Board and is currently a member of The Vast adventure travel society and the Culinary Travel Community with Virtuoso. She holds many destination and resort specialist certifications and is a preferred advisor with Four Seasons, Relais & Chateaux, Belmond, Ritz Carlton, Luxury Collection, Blackberry Farms, and Mandarin Oriental just to name a few. With these partnerships, she can wow her travelers with upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, hotel credits, and special rates for your travels. | |||
30 Mar 2021 | How a little girl from the Swiss mountains made her dream come true | 00:21:30 | |
In this episode, I am talking about how I managed to get a job as a tour guide in Greece even though I was not only untrained but also too young and how it turned out to be my most amazing learning experience. When you know what you want, the universe will present you with the opportunities to do what you want. It was a long and very tiring summer but after this, everything else was easy and sometimes when we think that we are in a dark place, we think that we are buried but we are planted and during this summer in Rhodos, the seed to my life long globetrotting was definitely planted. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you. You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Twitter: exinal Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQ Website: https://thesoulkit.com/ | |||
26 Mar 2024 | Natasha Waldron - From travelling around the world with the Royal Ballet to the Catwalk | 00:29:28 | |
I met Natasha at my Global Woman Club Director’s Training in Albania, she was a very established business women and gave an impressive presentation. Apart from being successful at everything she does, she has a great sense of humour and a beautiful worldview. Natasha Waldron used to be a professional ballerina at The Royal Ballet Company. Reaching her 30s made her realise that she needed to leave the world of dance and prepare herself for the business world. Eventually she established UKG Lifestyle in 2007, initially as a concierge company. However, her focus was on providing excellent cleaning services. 18 months ago, she founded a training Academy which now offers accredited and recognised qualifications for her own staff as well as other external organisations. Along her new journey, the business has enjoyed steady growth and continued re-investment. However, turning 50, she realised that there’s more to dream about than business and she handed over UKG Lifestyle to her staff. Her latest project is to a mature model and conquer the catwalk and I have no doubt that she is going to nail it. https://www.tiktok.com/@natashawaldron5/video/7345474067450858784 | |||
16 Jan 2024 | Gregory Schaad-Jackson - A multicultural chef who started off as a management consultant | 00:41:25 | |
Born in the USA, growing up in Switzerland, Venezuela and finally settling in the United Kingdom, Gregory was raised in 4 major global languages and continues to remain fluent in both spoken & written English, French, German & Spanish In his first position at Marcus Wareing at the Savoy Grill, Gregory gained the necessary experience in cooking Michelin-starred quality food under the tutelage of acclaimed Kiwi Chef Josh Emett. As he was promoted through the ranks he gained considerable insight into the factors influencing the management of a multi-million-pound turnover restaurant. Gregory went on to be sous chef as part of the opening brigade at the Gordon Ramsay group’s first venture in the USA, in New York’s London Hotel, where he worked until 2007. Gregory left Gordon Ramsay Holdings to help grow his family’s boutique catering company, Sissi Fabulous Food Ltd from a small home-based private chef business to a large events catering firm. As the Head Chef, Gregory brought his culinary expertise to the development of new menus and to the execution of the dishes at the events. As company director he used his considerable business experience to market the company and continually improve the supply chain management. To this day Gregory has evolved his role in the company as the team grew to become Executive Chef and Operations Director. Major global corporate clients have included The Duchy of Cornwall, Louis Vuitton, HSBC, MINI (BMW). Since 2012 Gregory has been regularly in demand as a Food & Beverage consultant by a number of global hotel and restaurant chains including Holiday Inn (IHG), Genting Casinos and East Coast Concepts. Gregory has recently trained as a Diet & Nutritional Advisor and has consulted on vegan restaurant menu concepts. He has consulted in Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK. | |||
12 Oct 2021 | Jeannette Linfoot | 00:37:46 | |
She has over 30 years of experience in business and is the former CEO of Saga Travel and MD of emerging Markets at TUI and generally a Travel and Hospitality Expert. She is the host of the podcast "Brave, Bold, Brilliant" which is in the top 2% of all podcasts in the world. She is fun to talk to and easy going and I very much loved discussing frozen eyelashes as well as buying companies in Moscow. She is a down-to-earth, an approachable business leader with a zest for life and her motto is: We only have one life, so live with passion and not regrets BRAVE. BOLD, BRILLIANT Jeannette Linfoot's website https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/ Jeannette Linfoot's podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970 Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
25 Feb 2025 | Teri M Brown - Great Double-Butted Adventure | 00:36:55 | |
Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown came into this world with an imagination full of stories to tell. She now calls the North Carolina coast home, and the peaceful nature of the sea has been a great source of inspiration for her creativity. Not letting 2020 get the best of her, Teri chose to go on an adventure that changed her outlook on life. She and her husband, Bruce, rode a tandem bicycle across the United States from Astoria, Oregon to Washington DC, successfully raising money for Toys for Tots. She learned she is stronger than she realized and capable of anything she sets her mind to. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others. https://www.terimbrown.com/bio.html | |||
14 Nov 2023 | Bilal Kola - From an Albanian communist concentration camp to international, motivational speaker and coach | 00:47:21 | |
Bilal Kola was born in an Albanian communist concentration camp, his early years were marked by hardship, but they also sparked a deep desire for success drawn from the pages of Western novels. Motivated by his family’s legacy of resistance against oppression, he made a vow to study law and fight for justice whenever given the opportunity. When communism fell in 1991, his father met Lord Julian Emery (a friend of his Bilal’s grandfather) and with his help, the dream started to become reality. His journey took him from Albania to London, where he pursued law studies and specialized in international business law. Completing a Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership further enhanced his understanding of leadership and shaped his career in both public and private sectors. As Dr. Bilal embarks on a new journey as a motivational speaker and life coach, his story remains an inspiration for those who truly believe in lifelong learning and pursuing their passions. https://www.amazon.co.uk/12-Mindsets-Improve-Life-Radically-ebook/dp/B0CMG6BLKS | |||
08 Jun 2021 | Elena Tanou - Vice President of Top Kinisis | 00:39:08 | |
Elena Tanou is a prominent and highly respected business professional and the Vice President of Top Kinisis Travel Ltd, the largest tour operator in Cyprus. She is involved in the Cyprus economy and the Nicosia Chamber of Commerce. We share a common passion, we love to travel with tour groups all over the world, and in this interview, we compared notes. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
23 Jan 2024 | Pien Perree - Spanish blood, French surname, Jewish ancestors, Dutch parents and living in Cyprus | 00:34:55 | |
Pien wrote a book as combination of her modelling (now since 44 years) with autobiographical short stories. Especially the change in her life since 27/4/1996, her devastating car-accident when she was 28 years old, gets attention. And her life before that date and after. Since more than 4 years her lifestyle changed a lot with functional medicine and nutritional therapy and gives her much more energy. Living with brain damage is her challenge which she meets with great courage and hope. She was born in Breda, South of the Netherlands, close to Belgium border and she studied in Amsterdam. Lots of travelling was done because she was following men in her life as she says so beautifully herself, especially with one of her men, a psychiatrist, she took longer trips to South Africa and Indonesia and later they saw Rome, Florence, Toscana and more times we went to Spain. And he had a holiday house in the Dordogne were they were twice a year. Today she lives in Paphos, Cyprus and spends a lot of time helping people in need and cheering people up with her positive and happy attitude. | |||
06 Jul 2021 | Talking to Monette Hamlin in Manila about life, love and her beautiful country of over 7400 islands | 00:35:02 | |
Monette Hamlin served on the Tourism Promotions Boards of the Philippines as a director representing the Meeting, Incentives Travel, Conventions, and Exhibitions & Events Services & Facilities Sector for three years. She is my friend and the perfect person to talk about journeys, life, travel and her beautiful country of 7400 islands. Monette is also the founder and president of TeamAsia, a 29-year old award-winning integrated marketing experience firm that builds brands through branding & design, digital marketing, content marketing, events & activation, video production. Monette concurrently serves as chairwoman of the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (WomenBizPH); chairwoman of Hopkins International Partners, Inc.; president of the Government-AcademeIndustry Network (GAIN), and Vice President for Conventions of the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS). Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
07 Nov 2023 | Rebecca Thomas - When it's summer all year around | 00:34:55 | |
Rebecca Thomas has over 20 years of recruitment, career coaching, transformational and intentional travel experience. She's emigrated twice, lived in three different countries and taken three career breaks. Travel has enriched her life, taught her a lot of what she knows and has helped her to live her best life. In 2022 leaving the corporate world behind her and becoming location independent she is ecstatic to marry her passion, profession and purpose. She's an ocean loving, yoga practicing, story seeking, cocktail drinking, regenerative tourism advocate, who lives for tasty food and beautiful places all with the people she loves. She believes it’s all possible once we find balance! Rebecca is a transformational coach who inspires, challenges and supports you to get the most out of your career break or sabbatical experience. She works with high performers who are craving something else and may even feel as though opportunities are passing them by. Supporting pre, during and post a sacred period of time off work, individuals return with the balance and clarity needed to be the best version of themselves. | |||
07 Jun 2022 | Rita Jammet - The Champagne Queen and Chief Bubble Officer at La Caravelle wines/champagne | 00:40:29 | |
Rita Jammet was born in Saudi Arabia to parents of Iraqi origin, she went to boarding school in Lebanon and Switzerland, married André Jammet, a French man and ended up living in New York. She has led an exotic and charmed life as the co-owner of the acclaimed La Caravelle restaurant for 20 years, as the proprietor of La Caravelle Champagnes / Wines, and as the mother of three accomplished sons (one of whom is the cofounder of Sweet Green). Rita has been an inspiration and role model for women in hospitality for decades. It’s frankly no surprise she’s now known as the Chief Bubble Officer of her company, and if New York were to have an ambassador of hospitality, it would be her. She talked to me about her childhood in Saudi and Lebanon, about moving to Switzerland and her honeymoon to the US. She is a very charismatic lady who you would want to listen to forever. Rita is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier NY. She was awarded the Order of Agricultural Merit by France's Ministry of Agriculture and Food. She is also a board member of the New York State Restaurant Association, Manhattan Chapter. Her many charitable involvements include: Mount Sinai Hospital, French American Aid for Children, Les Dames d’Escoffier, the Comité Colbert, Spoons Across America, AIWF Days of Taste* New York, and the Food Council of City Harvest. https://www.lacaravelle.com/ritajammet | |||
26 Oct 2021 | Jose Marie Chan - He is the reason why Christmas is always in our hearts | 00:40:56 | |
Jose "Joe" Mari Lim Chan (born March 11, 1945) is a Filipino singer, TV host, songwriter and businessman in the sugar industry. He is currently chairman and CEO of Binalbagan Isabela Sugar Company, Inc. and A. Chan Sugar Corporation. He is also the chairman and president of Signature Music, Inc. When I met Jose Mari Chan in a Zoom room with the Global Woman Club Manila and their wonderful director Rayla Allertsen, I knew, that I needed to take this opportunity and ask him to be my podcast guest and he said yes. In this interview Jose Mari tells me about how his father left China and went to live in the Philippines, how he met his wife and why he loves Switzerland. One of Chan's most famous song is "Christmas in our hearts" which has become a Filipino Christmas classic but many other Christmas songs and this phenomenon that earned him the unofficial title of “the king of Christmas". In the Philippines, the build up to Christmas starts on September 1, and truth to be told, when Rayla recently arrived at Manila airport from a trip abroad, she was welcomed home with Jose Mari Chan's music. According to Wazzup.ph, the three most famous characters during Christmas season are: 1. Jesus Christ, 2. Santa Claus, 3. Jose Mari Chan He is a wonderful, warm person and he sang for me and for you if you listen. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
21 Dec 2021 | Tamara Loehr - Ethical entrepreneur and creative powerhouse from Australia | 00:40:42 | |
My first Australian podcast guest... The ethical entrepreneur and creative powerhouse Tamara Loehr has spent her life making disruptive change for good by ‘doing the opposite’. Now she’s encouraging other women to leverage their personal power for global impact. She is the Co-Founder of the House of Beusail brands which is a range of Beauty and Wellness brands that are 100% vegan, female founded, cruelty free, sustainable, indie, made in non-polluting countries and gives back and committed to zero waste. She is also the author of the book "Balance is BS"! A handbook that will change the 42%+ of women who are now the breadwinners. We know “balance” doesn’t work. Tamara has figured out a solution after 20+ years as a global entrepreneur. A new way to approach your busy work and life. How to ditch expectations, uphold your values and embrace a work-life blend. https://www.loehrblend.com/ | |||
25 May 2021 | Glenn Lundy #RiseandGrind | 00:37:16 | |
Glenn Lundy is the host of the daily morning show #RiseandGrind which has taught hundreds of thousands of people about "The Morning 5 - 5 Steps to an extraordinary life" and he was recently featured in Forbes Magazine. He's also a father of eight and a wonderful husband and he told me how he was nearly arrested on his first flight ever. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
01 Nov 2022 | Leila Atbi - From Algeria to Abu Dhabi - a self-discovery journey from conviction to freedom. | 00:38:13 | |
I met my soul sister Leila during my master coach training in Dubai and I felt very drawn to her from the very beginning. She is a beautiful soul and has a beautiful smile and that fact that we can converse in French made her even more attractive to me. She studied Microbiology in Algeria but due to political instability and unrest in her home country she moved to Abu Dhabi nearly 25 years ago and worked as a French teacher and head of Department at a private school before she educated herself in the Personal Development field In this episode, she talks about her first trip to France, her trip around the world on a ship as the wife of the captain and how Nelson Mandela was freed while they were in South Africa and how they got stuck in the Port of Constanza during the time that Nicolae Ceausescu was executed in Romania. She is also telling me her journey about how she decided to remove her hijab and that her love for God has not changed because of it and how she thoroughly enjoys the swimming in the sea. She is a Master NLP Coach and Master Hypnotist and the co author of one the international bestselling books series "Magnetic Entrepreneur. A Personality that Attracts. She is also a certified Business Coach. https://leilaatbi.com/ | |||
19 Mar 2024 | Catherine Galea - About Peru, the Camino and Chakra Dancing | 00:37:00 | |
Talking about her home country Malta, her trip to Peru and walking the Camino. She is a wonderful lady with a beautiful personality. Thanks to her I learned to balance my Chakras and become even happier. She is Catherine Galea, Empowerment Coach and Mindfulness Teacher in Cyprus. She shares 5 strategies to help people unlock their purpose and transform their life to the one they are meant to live. She helps people start loving their life now whilst becoming self aware and reclaiming happiness. She lives with her daugher Sophia in Cyprus who is the co-author of the book “Welcome to the Rainbow Zoo” https://www.catherinegalea.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Rainbow-Zoo-Place-Dreams-ebook/dp/B0B7YY8LQW | |||
22 Jun 2021 | Baria Alamuddin - award-winning international journalist and broadcaster, mother of Amal Clooney | 00:43:19 | |
Baria Alamuddin is an outspoken award-winning political journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is the editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of states like Margaret Thatcher, Benazir Bhutto, King Hussain of Jordan, Yasser Arafat and Fidel Castro, to name a few. Baria was the last journalist to interview Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Baria Alamuddin is also the mother of Amal Clooney who is a celebrated humanitarian, high-powered barrister, mother of twins, and fashion icon—who happens to be married to a George Clooney. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
08 Aug 2023 | Marios Michael - Cleared for takeoff - A Captain's most memorable journeys | 00:38:17 | |
This is an episode with a retired Captain with a wonderful sense of humor, lots of stories to tell and a ton of useful information to share. Marios Michael studied at the Oxford Air Training School and worked as a pilot for Air Anglia in the UK before he moved back home to Cyprus where he started working for the national Carrier Cyprus Airways in 1982. Who knows, maybe he flew me to Cyprus the first them when I came here to work. At some point, he outgrew the airline because he wanted to fly more intercontinental and ended up spending 20 years flying for Emirates Airlines. Definitely a life journey that needs to be shared with others whose favorite smell is airplane kerosine. Marios Michael is retired and still loves flying around the world, now as a passenger. | |||
20 Jul 2021 | Talking to a real princess - HRH Princess Zama Zulu of South Africa | 00:34:19 | |
She is the first princess that I interview as a podcast guest and at first I didn't know how to address her but she made me feel comfortable with her kind and sweet way. She has many stories to tell, about how to keep up royal appearances even when her heart tears apart. Princess Zama Zulu is a descendant of King Shaka Zulu who was a Zulu chief (1816–28) and the founder of the Zulu empire in Southern Africa. The princess talked to me about her life as an abandoned child and how she got assaulted by her stepmother and how she used all the obstacles in her life as stepping stones. She is the author of the book "A Zulu Princess Warrior" Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
25 Jun 2024 | Andrea Charalambous - When you are exploring the world with Emirates Airlines and your passenger is Brad Pitt | 00:38:22 | |
Talking to Andrea about how life doesn’t always turn out the way we expected it. After studying psychology in the UK and coming back to Cyprus, she realised that things were complicated. For fun she joins an open recruiting day for flight attendants at Emirates Airlines and gets accepted. Even though her father wasn’t thrilled with the idea, she moves to Dubai and spends five years working for one of the world’s top airlines, allowing her to travel and explore cultures in over 70 countries. On top of it all, she gets to have Brad Pitt as a passenger in first class… Today she works as a Marketing Manager at Harneys Fiduciary, a company she had joined in Dubai after she decided to end her flying career. She also organizes women’s retreats and the best way to find out more is by following Andrea on Instagram @being.andreachara | |||
21 Sep 2021 | Australia - Down under during the domestic pilots strike | 00:26:51 | |
I had negotiated this trip in exchange of hard work in the USA and when it actually happened, I was a little overwhelmed. It was my first trip to Australia ever with a very large tour group and a complete airline chaos in the country. Let me tell you, how we improvised and turned this trip in the a huge success with the biggest tip I ever received in all the 11 tour guiding years. Find out about what's under the toilet lid in the Northern Territory and if the Ghan has wooden seats. Listen to my apology to the Anangu people for climbing Ayers Rock and many more snippets about the continent down under. Fly with me to Kangaroo Island and let's visit the little penguins on Philip Island. Let me know if you like my podcasts, send me a message and share with all your family and your friends. • Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
30 Aug 2022 | Veronica Tan - Co Founder of Success Resources | 00:34:11 | |
Did you know that Veronica Tan was an arms dealer? (only joking but in fact in her first job she worked for a company that was selling arms. Her first long distance flight ever was from Singapore to Athens (Greece) which is very near me and I hope that she'll visit me in Cyprus soon. Veronica co-founded Success Resources with her husband Richard Tan in 1992 and little did they know that their company would turn into the world's largest education seminar company. Annually they host and produce 500+ entrepreneurial events across 37 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, USA, Europe, Middle East, South America, and the UK. SR will empower 350,000+ entrepreneurs this year alone and have impacted 12 million people over its history. Success Resources has attracted internationally acclaimed speakers for its events, including Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Michael Porter, Tom Brady, Sara Blakely and former US President Bill Clinton. Veronica's mission is to be a force in helping individuals, enterprises, and organizations to succeed. She believes in life-long learning and with Success Resources she works to establish this culture globally. She loves discovering new places and combining business and pleasure. | |||
20 Apr 2021 | Maldives - My shoes didn't fit anymore and my passport was mouldy | 00:22:13 | |
My first long-distance flight and my first long-distance destination. The Maldives are paradise on earth but it gets a little boring after a few months, and there were a few surprises when I went on my visa trip to Singapore. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Twitter: exinal | |||
13 Feb 2024 | Julia Castelli - The Queen of Diamonds | 00:24:08 | |
Treasure Hunter, Founder and Director of Julia Castelli Lifestyle Management, a luxury goods and services boutique firm based in London operating globally. Enterpreneur, public figure & TV personality, Public Speaker, Life and Business Coach, hypnotherapist & RTT therapist. In 2010 I began working with numerous luxury brands, partnering in the organisation of small exclusive VIP events. This developed into the creation of additional VIP events, business development, targeted brand promotion to high net worth individuals, sales training and much more. As things continue to grow, in June 2019, the JCLM eBoutique was launched, offering a unique curation of some of the world’s most exquisite jewellery and lifestyle items. With over 23 years of experience exploring all facets of luxury, she is one of the key players who Influence and shape the world of global luxury. A true Hurricane of Luxury, as some call her:). Others call her Queen of Diamonds. She is launching her very own podcast called “Show me Your Diamond” | |||
03 May 2022 | Zoran Todorovic - The visionary who lives with the misfits in Ibiza | 00:38:00 | |
I met Zoran when I was looking for a job after my first child was born and we worked together here in Cyprus for two years. He had moved to Cyprus from the then called Yugoslavia to escape a looming war which broke up the country. He was and still is one of the most charismatic people I have ever met and you will hear in this episode that with his boyish but so convincing charm he actually convinced a beautiful lady who is now his wife with just one phone call that she is the one. Today he is a leading international master coach, notable author, sought after speaker, visionary and a passionate activist of the evolution of human consciousness. As a TNM Coaching Academy trainer and mentor, he brings 20 years of coaching and mentoring experience and helps people tap into their highest potential. He has been coaching hundreds of people all over the world but mainly in China, being the visionary he is, he recognised the potential. He lives with his family in Ibiza and guess where he is planing to live in the future? You will have to listen to the episode to find out. https://zorantodorovic.space/ https://tnmcoaching.com/ | |||
30 Apr 2024 | Sarit Shavit Qwabe - Author of Surrendering - Learning letting go between Israel, South Africa and Cyprus | 00:43:52 | |
Sarit is one of the people that I instantly liked and felt connected to. We met on social media and when she visited me in Cyprus and became a member of the Global Woman Club Cyprus, I knew that I had found a new friend who would inspire, motivate and support me. Sarit Shavit Qwabe was born and raised in Israel, in the Negev desert town of Be’er Sheva. After meeting and marrying her South African husband, they relocated to Johannesburg where they now live with their two children. “Surrendering” is Sarit’s first book, written in English with a nod to her Hebrew mother tongue, and published as the family are poised to begin a new adventure in Cyprus....but that’s another story! It won’t be her last.. I can’t wait to see what’s in store. https://www.amazon.com/Surrendering-Learned-Letting-Transformation-Mindfulness-ebook/dp/B0CW3MVSR9 | |||
19 Sep 2023 | Sandra Da Silva - Not an easy journey but definitely worth it | 00:28:47 | |
Internationally certified NLP Trainer, Personal Mindset Mentor & Coach, Timeline Therapist ™, Hypnotherapist, Speaker and Reiki Master. Founding member & secretary to BPW English speaking club. Sandra possesses considerable expertise and an array of methodologies, providing holistic assistance to individuals and businesses. She grew up in the UK, is originally from Portugal and now lives in Cyprus. She has spent 30 years working in the corporate world, and this experience is a part of her life training which has prepared her for what she does today. She had the pleasure (most of the time) working with people from all over the world, gaining an understanding of “people” as well as developing skills in leadership and communication. While this was rewarding, it did not ignite her soul. Somewhere deep inside she knew she was supposed to be making a difference in peoples lives, she just didn’t know HOW. The institution she was working for closed, and this was a major turning point her my life. She was now jobless and had no idea what was next. At the time she didn’t know that this was a blessing in disguise as it led her on the most incredible journey of becoming who she is today. Faced with uncertainty, broken after her divorce, lacking confidence and direction. Not to mention the fears and limiting beliefs that kept her imprisoned within her own mind. The constant self-sabotaging thoughts, that always played over and over; you know the ones, “you’re not good enough, who do you think you are? you’re a failure, you’re not intelligent or smart, you’re not destined to be successful or abundant.” Fast forward to the present day and ……………….HELL YES she is successful, HELL YES she is intelligent, HELL YES she is financially abundant, HELL YES she is abundant in health and love and so much more. | |||
10 Oct 2023 | Francesca Pinoni - Helping to increase the amount of happiness in the world | 00:36:48 | |
Talking to Francesca Pinoni about growing up in San Francisco, living in Cyprus, the importance of community, walking The Camino, how she opened the first “New Age” Shop in Limassol, Cyprus, how she co-founded, the Mind, Body and Spirit Exhibition in 2001 and bio resonance. Born in San Francisco, CA, Francesca completing her BA in Theatre Arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz, lived and worked in London for several years, then met and married a lovely man from the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus. They moved there in 1981 where their son, Alex, was born. She owned and ran Splash!, gift shops full of pretty things until her second marriage to Dr. Igor Cetojevic, from the former Yugoslavia. Francesca Pinoni is a qualified yoga teacher and has studied various natural healing modalities including Reiki (Usui & Karuka Master), magnetotherapy, and biofeedback/bioresonance and Puruvian Shamanism. Her hobbies include dancing, music (Frame drum & djembe), art ( painting, pastel & mosaics), poetry and traveling. Besides collaborating with her husband Igor on "Your Health; It's a Question of Balance", Francesca has published a novel for young adults under the pen name, Chess Capino, called "To the Rhythm of the Moon" Together, they moved to the U.S.A. and lived in Woodacre, CA between '97 and 2000 then returned to Cyprus. Francesca is active in amateur dramatics, designing costumes for Shakespeare productions at the ancient theatre at Curium and also at Dominican University in Marin County, CA, doing costumes and also writing plays which were preformed as part of their one-act play festival. | |||
27 Sep 2022 | Andre Perez Gomez - I'd rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff | 00:41:40 | |
His Instagram handle is @aptraveler and we met on Clubhouse. He has explored 107 countries so far and loves the world. His Swiss roots come through when he talks about punctuality, correctness and being polite. As a cancer survivor, Andre has realised how precious our time on earth is and has decided to see it all and savour every moment. His stories are heartwarming and colourful. His pictures have won several photo competitions even though he just uses an Iphone 12. Initially I thought he was a country counter but he is not, he enjoys every country with all his senses, find out and listen. | |||
02 Jul 2024 | Stelana Kliris - The producer of the first ever Cypriot feature film to screen worldwide on Netflix | 00:33:37 | |
I met Stelana at the Diaspora Forum (once more thank you Paul Lambis) and instantly liked her. She is genuine and very authentic. Stelana Kliris is a South African Cypriot writer/director/producer and the founder of Meraki Films which is a production company based in Cyprus and established by Stelana as a banner for both her own films and those of local filmmakers, women in particular. The mission is to tell authentic stories that can travel to an international audience. Stelana has a long-standing reputation on the island for being a reliable, persistent and hard-working professional. She has taken on multiple roles in local productions, but is most at home when she is writing, directing or producing. Before establishing Meraki Films, she wrote, produced and directed the first independent feature film in Cyprus after the crisis caused State cinema funding to be cut in collaboration with AMP Filmworks and producer Marios Piperides, and with the generous support of the Pouroulis Foundation. Despite the low budget, COMMITTED went on to be distributed in multiple territories and optioned for a Hollywood remake. She also produced the award-winning feature film PAUSE, the feature directorial debut of Tonia Mishiali, under long-time collaborator AB Seahorse Film Productions with producers Andros Achilleos and Tonia Mishiali. She recently completed FIND ME FALLING, her second feature as writer/director and is working on several new projects under the banner of Meraki Films. Find Me Falling has been translated to over 30 languages and will stream across 190 countries and over 260 million Netflix accounts, premiering on July 19. | |||
08 Oct 2024 | Solomon Schmidt - History Bites from a Dedicated Truth Seeker | 00:37:16 | |
At just 21 years old, historian and author Schmidt has established himself as a dedicated truth-seeker. Since penning his 8-part educational series "History Bites" at age 12, Schmidt has made it his mission to inspire young minds and uncover the stories that shaped America. With a number of exclusive interviews with household names such as Bob Shapiro, Megyn Kelly, Mike Tyson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., O.J. Simpson, Donald Trump and many others, what lead him to his latest interview subject is a fascinating story. His latest work, "Legal Gladiator," is the only biography of Alan Dershowitz, America's most controversial attorney. Alan gave author Solomon Schmidt unprecedented access to his personal and professional life, and in Legal Gladiator, Solomon takes readers inside Alan’s most high-profile cases, including the notorious Trump trial. He accompanies tours to England and Scotland and his biggest wish is to interview JK Rowling. Solomon's website: https://www.solomonschmidt.com/about-5 History Bites: https://historybites.com/whos-solomon/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAbyHftBkYK8VW6zClFKQWA | |||
09 Nov 2021 | Cherie Mathews - Breast Cancer Survivor, Investor and Badass Motorcycle Rider | 00:39:29 | |
Cherie is a former IBMer in the field of Computer Engineering and research and development. Cherie believes it is truly possible to change the world by taking ideas that solve problems and putting action behind them to watch them grow. She has travelled all over the world and loves to ride motorcycles over high mountain passes in Europe and especially Switzerland. We meet in Global Woman Club Zoom rooms and Clubhouse rooms and have never actually met in person, even though I feel that she is a soul sister. She is also a twenty-year breast cancer survivor and turned a bad thing into a good thing for others, she is the Founder and CEO of an Austin, Texas-based company called Healincomfort that has won many Innovative Awards and has been nationally and internationally recognized. The name of her company Healincomfort, appropriately named because from personal experience it was the last thing that occurred. Healincomfort is dedicated to helping women and men heal in comfort and dignity after mastectomy surgery in their battle against breast cancer with her award-winning, patented, and innovative post-operative garment. Cherie chose to bootstrap her business as a social experiment with one thousand dollars to learn if people still believed in a good product would they share it with others and whether it was possible to grow a business organically and by word of mouth. https://twitter.com/healincomfort Https://www.Instagram.com/cherie_b_mathews | |||
14 Sep 2021 | Kiera Chaplin - a superstar without airs and graces | 00:31:08 | |
Kiera Chaplin is a top model, entrepreneur, actress and singer from Northern Ireland. She is the granddaughter of the English filmmaker Charlie Chaplin and the great-granddaughter of the American dramatist Eugene O'Neill. She is also an adventure seeker, fashion lover and an eclectic creator but most of all she is a very kind and charismatic person who serves others and helps others grow. She is involved in many charity organisations and foundations and in 2018 Kiera Chaplin created the Chaplin Awards in Asia. It is an award that goes to an actor or filmmaker whose work embodies Charlie Chaplin's qualities of realism, diversity and courage within their craft. I am grateful to Kiera for this beautiful interview and I hope that you will enjoy listening to it as much as i did recording it. Here's the link to The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc that Kiera mentioned https://www.rallyeaichadesgazelles.com/en/ Here's the link to Kiera's beautiful scarf collection https://janaviindia.com/women/collections/janavi-india-x-kiera-chaplin.html Here's the link to Kiera's song "Love feels so much better with you" https://youtu.be/gsIxf5jzgio | |||
17 Aug 2021 | Simone Lugeon - my Swiss French Connection | 00:37:33 | |
Simone Lugeon started working for Kuoni (Switzerland's biggest tour operator) during her student years and did the tour guide training with me. We immediately became friends, and I was very impressed with her flawless Swiss German even though her mother tongue is French. In this episode, we are talking about some boring Rhine Cruises and how she nearly lost a client in Boston but also about her wedding to Arne on the beautiful lake of Geneva which I attended. The last time we met was in 1994 when she came to Cyprus with her firstborn boy. After that, we kind of lost touch because life took over and both our families grew. When we got together for this interview, we picked up the conversation from where we had left it off over 20 years ago. She had moved to Singapore, then to Myanmar, then to Vietnam and now owns a hotel in Seam Reap, Cambodia. Simone is a true tourism expert and has lots of stories to tell, some are most memorable journeys. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
24 Jan 2023 | Hector Toufexis - My travel partner on this journey called life | 00:39:44 | |
I believe that the person who deserves most to be interviewed for this milestone episode is my husband Hector who puts up with all my crazy ideas and supports everything I do. How much can one say about a whole life in 40 minutes? Well, we tried with Hector to talk about his most memorable journeys but also about the once we took together. Hector was born in Famagusta, Cyprus and he lost his home in 1974 when Famagusta was turned into a ghost town as its Greek Cypriot inhabitants were forced to flee. The invasion happened during a trip to visit relatives in New York and after a year of schooling in the US, he came back and lived with his family in Limassol while going back and forth to Nicosia to study at The English School. He then went back to study in New York and he holds a Bsc in Business and an MBA in International Finance both from St. Johns University in New York. He is a joint Managing Director at Orphanides & Murat, a company that was established in Famagusta in 1934. In this episode we talk about how we drove a Range Rover from England to Cyprus, how I broke the news to him in a hotel room in Toronto that i was pregnant with our first child and much more. Enjoy listening to this very personal story. https://orphanidesandmurat.com/ | |||
10 Jan 2023 | Kate MacGregor - Anyone can learn to have the lifestyle they dream of | 00:35:46 | |
Kate is the founder of "Out of Office". She was born and raised in New Zealand, and we have been virtual friends on Facebook for a long time, following each other's travelling. We both have similar stories to tell because she also started off her journey as a tour guide when she moved from New Zealand to London and accompanied trips to Europe. I love her sense of adventure and her zest for life. After two decades of wearing many hats within fast paced industries such as tourism, events, conferencing and hospitality, she began my entrepreneurial journey. In search of the elusive work-life balance, with the aim to support her love of helping others in business as well as her love for exploring the world - she developed her very own 'life by design', in the form of a digital nomadic life, serving businesses while following summer around the globe. https://www.nzoutofoffice.com/quick-links | |||
29 Mar 2022 | Dr Tracy Kemble - Owner of Mrs. Globe and writer, human potentialist & an uncompromising optimist | 00:35:35 | |
She is a born-and-raised California girl and was Mrs Globe in 1996. Also in 1996 when Albania hosted the Miss Europe contest and she helped presenting it, she decided to visit neighbouring Greece and find her husband's birthfather. Her mission was successful and she's been in love with Greece ever since and spends half of the year there and the other half in California. She organizes "The Divine Conference" every year in Greece. Dr. Tracy is the owner of Mrs. Globe®, the world's largest international beauty event for Misses in the world. Celebrating 20 years of success, the MG brand is licensed in over 70 countries, globally. Dr. Tracy is also the registered brand owner of Mrs. U.S.of A.®, Mrs. North America®, and Mrs. Globe Classic®. She is the founder of The W.I.N. Foundation, a non-profit that specializes in programs of recovery and empowerment. Her life-changing program "Right Living" has been taught to over 60 countries around the globe and translated into 3 languages. Founded in 1996, over 150,000 lives have been helped through the programs of empowerment offered by WIN. In 2010, Dr. Tracy and WIN was commissioned and endorsed by Miller Coors Social Responsibility for her break-out program "Raise Your Standards"; a "drink responsibly / date responsibly" program that was implemented in over 50 universities across the USA. Due to her 20 years of transformational work with women, Dr. Tracy has been recognized by media and world figures, including Hilary Clinton and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. | |||
01 Mar 2022 | Eden Dema - Talking about Bhutan - her beautiful country in the Himalayas | 00:27:37 | |
I met Eden Dema on Facebook and I had never met anyone from Bhutan before. I was immediately intrigued by her posts, talking about nature, culture and cooking and I wanted to find out more. Eden has a Bachelors Degree of Arts (Economics and Mathematics) and she did a Masters Degree in Economics in Paris and she loves France. Through her work for the Central Bank of Bhutan she got to travel the world and told me about her favorite places and how my home country Switzerland made her feel a little bit like her home country Bhutan. We also talked about how her dad saved money all year to take the family on a yearly holiday to India. Eden and her family love cooking, local and international dishes and once more I realise that no matter where we come from, we have so many things in common. Bhutan is a fascinating country in the Himalayas and according to the latest report from the World Population Survey on the happiest countries in the world. Tune in and find out. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
04 Jan 2022 | Dominick Domasky - That which does not kill us only makes us stronger | 00:33:06 | |
Dominick Domasky is an inspirational author, storyteller and founder of the inspiration sharing and publishing platform Motivation Champs. Dominick is the author of the inspirational books, The Journey of a Grunt, How to Write a Book in 2020, and creator and co-author of the hit book Go Ask Your Dad. His greatest accomplishments are his two children, and he aspires to be the best husband father he can be. Dominick and Motivation Champs share inspiration, smiles, and positivity 24/7 and help others do the same. This mission is accomplished through publishing, screenwriting, a large social media footprint, in person events and work with nonprofits. My Name is Sharon, the newest book by Dominick chronicles the pain a family feels when their mother's advanced memory loss collides with a global pandemic. This timeless love story attempts to put a face on Alzheimer's Disease and explain the grief and guilt felt by the families quietly mourning the loss of the living. The loss of a loved one is never easy; however, we attempt to find comfort in the special memories we shared together. My Name Is Sharon is a journey through a collection of precious family memories. We uncover the deep bond between mother and son and learn Sharon will be remembered as far more than a victim of disease. Dominick’s inspirational book The Journey of a Grunt was not written from a pedestal, but from the trenches of digging ditches, picking up cigarette butts and overcoming countless failures. The Journey of a Grunt is a positive, humorous story that takes us from adolescence to adulthood and tackles life’s teaching moments along the way. This book look is a pop culture, modern-day look into the meaning behind each job, task, and chore. Its pages will make you laugh, smile, reflect, and most of all inspire. Go Ask Your Dad was conceived by Dominick be a tool for fathers and caregivers to refer to in times of triumph or turbulence. Domasky admits he is not a perfect father; so, he enlisted the help of twenty-one passionate fathers from across the globe to answer the questions of fatherhood. The dads who co-author Go Ask Your Dad are from different faiths, cultures, and upbringings and come together to create a tool that will help today’s father succeed in an ever-changing world. Today’s fathers must be prepared to navigate the subjects of broken homes, teen pregnancy, social media updates, and drug addiction, but be strong enough to understand that true fatherhood is all about unconditional love and raising your children to be the best that they can be. Mr. Domasky is not a gold medalist or business titan, and he’ll be the first to admit he’s just a guy who has failed, been benched, suffered setbacks, lawsuits, punches to the face, and got up and brushed himself off. Dominick has no ill will of the past but looks back and finds humor and strength. As the old saying goes, “That which does not kill us only makes us stronger!” Dominick can be contacted for events, speaking engagements, or publishing opportunities at www.motivationchamps.com He can be found daily at Motivation Champs across most social media platforms sharing smiles, positivity and messages of inspiration. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
05 Mar 2024 | Sebastian Arenas Schmid - So much more than just the voice in the Swiss TV news | 00:39:34 | |
I met Sebastian because I had the opportunity to speak on the Swiss Radio about my life in Cyprus. The producer of Radio Show “The 5th Switzerland” is the lovely Pascale Folke who is Sebastians wife. Every Swiss German knows Sebastian’s voice, he is the speaker in the Swiss National News and he also acted in a few movies including one of the famous “Tatort” episodes. When he reads new stories, he gives them life and adds emotion to the text. He also teaches individuals how to prepare presentations and trains them how they can inspire the audience. Born to a Swiss father and a Peruvian mother, he grew up in multicultural surroundings that made him an openminded and empathetic person who understands that kindness and compassion go a long way. | |||
07 Feb 2023 | Simon Belmont - FlymanSimonA350 - Pilot, Author and Fear of flying Coach | 00:38:06 | |
He is a Virgin Atlantic Long Haul Airline pilot with coming up 25 years experience in the aviation industry. He started out as a jet engineer and then became a fast jet pilot (Hawk, Tornado F3) and then 10 years flying the Boeing C17 as a training captain. The highlight of which was flying the Prime Minister David Cameron on his first flight to Afghanistan. Finally he landed his dream job as Virgin Atlantic pilot on the Airbus A330/A340. One of his passions is to help people overcome their fear of flying and on his Tiktok account, where some of his posts have over 1 Million views, he explains why and how flying is the safest means of transportation. He is in the process of writing a book about how to overcome fear of flying. https://stan.store/FlymanSimon | |||
31 Aug 2021 | Manfred Ritchard - my most eloquent friend, who showed me where the money is | 00:44:51 | |
I met Manfred Ritchard in New York in November 1986 because my friend Eliane who later became his wife wanted to meet up with me even though Manfred had other plans. The next time I met him at the helicopter pad in the Grand Canyon while our clients were flying over the gorge and he gave me hundreds of useful tips how to earn more money during my roundtrips in the West. We have known each other for many years and have lots in common; we both worked as tour guides for Kuoni, the largest Swiss tour operator. Today, Manfred Ritchard is a very successful trainer, motivational speaker, and lecturer. He is well known in the Swiss travel industry and has been supporting many well established companies in introducing innovative sales concepts. He I admire his eloquence and expertise, and I love his sense of humor. Check out his TED Talk "Coping with Robots" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylR8UFm6e1o&ab_channel=TEDxTalks https://www.manfredritschard.ch/ • Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
11 Jan 2022 | We drove a green Range Rover from England to Cyprus and lived happily ever after | 00:19:22 | |
I had tried to live a "normal" life back in my home country Switzerland after 11 years of living and working all over the world but somehow I realised that I wasn't cut out for "normal". In August 1994, I decided to take a leap of faith and move to Cyprus where I had lived and worked 6 summers as a tour guide but this time, I was moving there to stay, forever as they say. We had decided with Hector, my husband to be to give it a shot and move in together after we had known each other for 10 years but never actually lived together. I decided to exchange my bright red sexy sports car with a boring green Range Rover and it had to be bought in England because we were going to drive it to Cyprus where they also drive on the "wrong side of the road" or the left hand side. In this episode I am talking about how we drove from England to Switzerland, filled the Range Rover to the brim with my belongings and went on through Italy, via ferry to Patras in Greece, across the Peloponnese Peninsula to Piraeus and on another ferry to Limassol, Cyprus where I have been living happily ever after since then. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
10 Sep 2024 | Neil Laird - Multiple Emmy Nominated Producer/Director of historical films | 00:34:20 | |
Neil Laird is a multiple Emmy-nominated director of historical films for Discovery, BBC, PBS, History Channel, National Geographic, and many other networks. He has produced over 100 programs around the globe that feature crumbling Egyptian tombs, lost Mayan cities, and mysterious shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea. He is a TV producer turned novelist and discusses his unique career journey and the creation of his comedic time travel novels like Prime Time Travelers. Neil shares how his background in the TV industry and his passion for ancient history and mythology inspired his writing. We dive into the challenges of transitioning from TV to writing, the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing, and the critical role of marketing for authors. Neil also reflects on the power of storytelling, his awe-inspiring travels, and the balance between preserving historical sites and the passage of time. He loves the world and especially the Middle East where he gets even more inspire to think and write Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with valuable takeaways for aspiring writers and storytellers. | |||
22 Feb 2022 | Miranda Tringis - The beautiful Herbalist who loves tea and butterflies | 00:39:12 | |
Miranda Tringis is a Dutch-born entrepreneur and herbalist, living in Cyprus for 30 years now. She studied Traditional Western Herbalism and French Aromatherapy. Miranda and her husband Adamos are the founders of Cyherbia Botanical Park in Cyprus, where visitors can learn about the herbs of Cyprus in 9 themed herb gardens, witness the extraction of essential oil in the distillation room and go on a green adventure in the maze and woodland walk around Cyprus. In the woodland, there is a fairy village to discover, and a witch’s cottage where the door to childhood imagination is opened once again. The Cyherbia project started out as a wild dream, turning a barren field into a green oasis where many bird species find refuge. The park opened in 2012 and has been growing ever since. Miranda is a regular guest on Cyprus TV shows, where she shares her herbal knowledge with the public. She teaches seminars and workshops at the park and at conferences and leads a research program at a local university. She has created educational programs for schools through which children learn in a playful way about the benefits of local plants and how to nurture and care for the natural world. Miranda has created a large variety of organic herbal products at Cyherbia, ranging from tea blends to essential oils, tinctures, and cosmetics, available at the botanical park and online. Cyherbia now employs 8 staff and has won several business and environmental awards. https://www.cyherbia.com/ | |||
12 Jul 2022 | Ajay Goyal - Inspiring global Entrepreneur and Founder of Zening Resorts | 00:43:41 | |
Ajay Goyal is a global entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and writer. He is the founder and owner of Europe's first five star yoga themed sustainable resort hotel Zening Resorts and he invested millions of Euros in Cyprus during the financial crises in 2013. Unfortunately he came across some unethical people and had to deal with many bureaucratic obstacles as a foreign investor. Even though he had to give up his Zening dream in Cyprus, he talks very highly of the island and is a Cypriot Citizen now. In this interview he talks about how he grew up in India in a very academic family and how he decided to expand his horizon in Russia where he ended up being in front of the tanks on the Red Square in Moscow in 1991. Ajay Goyal founded the Norasco Group in Cyprus in 1993 with branches in Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore and India . He is the founder of over than 20 ventures. He is presently founder and CEO of AGV ( Ajay Goyal Ventures, a Norasco company), an E learning, E commerce, Travel, Reg Tech and Health Tech incubator investing in European startups. Goyal is author of book Uncovering Russia. Goyal was Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Russia Journal newspaper published from Moscow , Russia and Washington DC, United States group from 1998 until 2005. | |||
26 Nov 2024 | Miles Spencer - He mentors two Kids and several Founders | 00:37:39 | |
He calls himself a fairly normal guy from Pittsburgh that strayed a long way from home. He has been a mentor of tech founders for 30 years, and a father of kids for 11. The similarities are remarkable. His day job has been to help create over 1,100 jobs while founding, financing, building and exiting three digital media companies. Prior to that, he was a Venture Principal at Capital Express, hosted MoneyHunt on PBS (pre- SharkTank), led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea on kayak, and trekked 1,100 miles through the deserts of Saudi, Jordan and Syria… and A Line in the Sand ended up an Amazon Bestseller in the Middle East. After a bit of a pandemic reset, Ihe is now actively investing and directly managing teams in digital media, entertainment, and consumer products. And painting watercolors with his daughter or playing rugby with his son. Oh, and sometimes friends have to interpret for his special type of English. That’s it, up to now. https://www.amazon.com/Line-Sand-Novel-Miles-Spencer/dp/1917185820 | |||
16 Nov 2021 | Marianna Rosset taught me how to notice when my guardian angels are around me | 00:42:57 | |
Marianna Rosset writes books and songs, acts in movies, loves and lives life to the full. She believes that we are all capable of turning our lives into fairy tales. After looking for her true purpose and striving to do everything and be everywhere, travelling widely etc. she became a happy wife and mom of three beautiful children. That doesn't stop her from studying enthusiastically and participating in business project and act and produce movies like Portrait of God (2019), S.O.S. Survive or Sacrifice (2020) and The Ghosts of Monday. Her company is called Altadium group and in her capacity as a movie producer, her and her husband ended up representing Cyprus on the red Carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, promoting the island's film industry by making the world aware of its shooting diversity and overall potential. I love her book Fanyasha, a beautiful angel that can tell people about happiness and love, suffering, dreams and how to find yourself in this big, wide world. Fanyasha helps make the world a brighter and kinder place, helps adults and children to believe in miracles, and helps them to find their way and understand that everything in this world happens for a reason. In 2020, Marianna Rosset was the winner of the Red Diamond Russian Business woman of the year award. http://mariannarosset.com/index.html https://eng.fanyasha.com/ https://altadium.com/ | |||
05 Apr 2022 | Declaration of love to my island in the sun - 40 years in Cyprus in a nutshell | 00:25:59 | |
End of March 1982 I arrived in Cyprus for the first time, and I have been talking in the first episodes of this podcast about how I had no idea where I was going. I very much enjoyed my 6 summers as a holiday Rep and I so appreciated the life here. However, my personal life wasn't working out, and so I left in 1988, not planning to ever come back but as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans" I came back in 1994, got married in 1995 to my husband Hector, and by 1997, I was the mother of the two most beautiful babies in the world. Even though I loved spending time with them, I needed something to do, and I started importing quality wooden toys from Germany and opened two shops; it wasn't a very successful mission and I gave up after a few years. My most enjoyable appointment was working for the Cyprus Police Association as an interpreter for 17 years, predominantly because I got to travel again and met amazing people all over Europe and beyond. Cyprus has become my home, I became a Cypriot citizen, I speak perfect Greek. Our children are now grown up and live abroad but they love coming back because the island grounds them. I trained as a Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner and I wrote a book called "The Soul Kit - first aid for the soul" I am the Regional Director of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and I love connecting women and networking, I love people. I love my island in the sun as I lovingly call it, I love nature, the sea, the mountains (this winter I did what I had wanted to do for many years, I swam in the sea in the morning and skied in the afternoon). I love the traditions, the cooking, and baking and most of all, I love the community and my beautiful friends. I love this podcast which also celebrated its first birthday. Basically, I love my life. https://thesoulkit.com/ | |||
07 Jan 2025 | Bert terHart - Circling the globe on a boat and known as 'the safest person on the planet' during the coronavirus crisis | 00:37:27 | |
Bert terHart left Victoria, BC, on October 27, 2019, with the goal of emulating solo navigators who travelled half a century or more ago—without electronic charts, or GPS. Thus, he passed the five great southern capes going east using only a sextant, paper charts, pencil and log tables—a feat previously accomplished by eight single-handing sailors in the past, but none of them starting from North America. He’s faced extreme weather, dwindling supplies and unexpected repairs that have extended his trip from six to nine months — and yet, he’s been dubbed “the safest person on the planet.” Why? Because he’s traveling alone — and hasn’t seen another person since January, in Port Stanley in the Falklands, and before that on Nov. 6 in San Francisco — and floating far from civilization, the British Columbia resident presumably has no risk of contracting or transmitting the coronavirus disease, news of which emerged months into his journey. There’s lots more in this fascinating episode, definitely worth listening to. | |||
22 Oct 2024 | Thales Panagides - Brazil, Cyprus and a Hill | 00:34:26 | |
Thales Panagides graduated with an MBA in Entrepreneurship in 1998. He spent weeks searching for a job in the financial district of New York City and realized Wall Street wasn’t the right fit for a Cypriot who spent most of his summers on the beach. Uncertain about his future and how to leverage his business degree, he decided to visit his cousin in Brazil who just launched an Internet company. The plan was to spend a couple of weeks, but he ended up staying for ten fruitful years. Thales was offered a stake in his cousin’s technology company called Inova Tecnologias. Highlights included attracting venture capital and launching a B2B website selling high fashion Brazilian bikinis around the world. The bikini website drew media attention and was mentioned in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Inc Magazine. He moved to Cyprus with his wife and two daughters in 2008 and launched a second ecommerce website focusing on gym wear. Today Inova Technologias employs 20 people and Thales continues to be one of the leading independent distributors of Brazilian bikinis and fitness wear in the world. Thales enjoys open water swimming, cycling and running. He’s also the author of 'Odessey to the Heart', an inspirational philosophical story of a man's journey to spiritual enlightenment who priorities meaning and not profit maximisation. | |||
31 Mar 2021 | Cyprus - And suddenly my name was Lisa.... | 00:27:55 | |
In this episode, I am talking about how I arrived in Cyprus for the first time many years ago and realized that they were driving on the wrong side of the road. Today, Cyprus is my home, my island in the sun but in those days I never thought that I would end up here. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis Twitter: exinal Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQ Website: https://thesoulkit.com/ | |||
24 Aug 2021 | The world needs more Canada and where I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter | 00:22:32 | |
In this new episode, I am publicly declaring my love for Canada and how much I enjoyed traveling to all the beautiful places there. Do you want to know where my sexy red Delsey suitcase was bought and where it ended up or where I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter? Tune in and enjoy! Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
26 Dec 2023 | Evelina Ezkenazi - Founder of Saffron Kitchen Project, an organisation aiming to aid vulnerable communities in Athens | 00:34:26 | |
I met Evelina because my daughter Natalie was volunteering at the Saffron Kitchen Project in Athens. Fascinated by the project, I happened to meet Evelina and want to share what this amazing person does to make the world a better place. You can support her by checking out the link at the end of these show notes and donating. Evelina's six years in the food industry, working and training in restaurants and ultimately setting up her own catering company, helped her to recognise the importance of food and the joy it can bring to people. She spent the following five years working in humanitarian aid, running a warehouse in a refugee camp and setting up as well as managing an education and community centre. This helped refine her aptitude in working with vulnerable people and running teams of staff and volunteers. All of this experience has equipped her with the necessary skills to start Saffron Kitchen Project, whose goal is to provide both opportunity, and a sense of community, for refugees and vulnerable people. Her favourite meal is pasta cooked by someone else (obviously by someone who can cook pasta). | |||
01 Apr 2025 | East Africa captured my heart | 00:23:45 | |
I haven't done an episode on my own for a while but my recent trip to Kenya and Tanzania deserves to be shared with my audience. In this episode I am taking you on a captivating adventure through East Africa—Kenya and Tanzania. From the friendly people and stunning landscapes to the mesmerizing wildlife, every aspect of this journey was nothing short of magical. I am sharing my experience of traveling through East Africa with Gate 1’s organized tour, where I was not only introduced to the rich cultural heritage of the Maasai people and the fascinating wildlife of the Serengeti but also embraced the Hakuna Matata philosophy—no worries, everything is perfect. What to Expect in This Episode:
Key Takeaways:
Mentioned in this Episode:
Join me on this unforgettable journey through East Africa, and hear how a once-in-a-lifetime safari experience can leave you with lasting memories and a desire to return. | |||
18 Feb 2025 | Jorge Salas Guevara - Expedition Addicted for life | 00:35:15 | |
Jorge Salas-Guevara is the President and Founder of New Paths Expeditions (NPE); his journey began at a very young age when he had the fortune to spend his summers in the rugged beauty of Patagonia, where he embraced the role of a mountain and trekking guide. Such experiences ignited a lifelong commitment to adventure and exploration. These early ventures laid the groundwork for a unique career in travel, drawing the attention of premier travel brands in the U.S. and affording him the honor of learning from some of the world’s most venerated expedition leaders. Jorge’s professional path has been diverse and enriched by a variety of roles within one of the travel industry’s largest conglomerates. From guiding, product development, and managing crises to training field staff and ensuring the safety of travel operations, developing new US travel brands, advising new and old local travel services, supervising the safety of planes and ships, and even designing and building expedition travel vessels. His contributions have been instrumental in enhancing travel experiences worldwide. His leadership skills were further recognized through his executive roles, including his tenure as CEO of one of the conglomerate’s brands. Yet, it was his vision for a more intimate and insightful approach to travel that led to the founding of NPE, aiming to offer small-group expeditions that provide higher quantities and quality of content, and delve into the heart of nature and culture. With a solid educational background in Business Administration, focusing on travel operations, marketing, and finance at Cornell, Jorge has built NPE on the principle that attention to detail is paramount in creating unforgettable travel experiences. His hands-on approach in the field and continuous engagement with guests and destinations underscore his belief in the transformative power of travel. In addition to his leadership at NPE, Jorge Salas-Guevara is deeply commitment to conservation and community support. As the founder and president of two conservation organizations, he has been devoted to providing clean water to remote Amazon communities and helping wildlife conservation efforts in Africa and Asia. These initiatives are a testament to the holistic approach to travel at NPE—every expedition not only promises discovery and adventure but also contributes positively to the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants. Jorge’s contributions extend beyond business leadership to include wildlife and travel photography, where his work has been recognized and featured by notable institutions and publications, including Smithsonian, Wildlife Conservation Society, Nature Conservancy, among many others. This creative outlet not only reflects his appreciation for the natural world but also enhances the expeditions led by NPE, offering guests unique insights and memorable moments captured through his lens and lectures. When not exploring new destinations or leading expeditions, Jorge enjoys spending quality time with his daughter Josefina, exploring his passions for photography, writing, and cooking. Jorge’s leadership at NPE is not just about guiding tours; it’s about fostering a community of travelers eager to explore, learn, and connect with the world’s most breathtaking landscapes and cultures. His story is one of dedication, expertise, and a sincere love for adventure that continues to inspire both the team at NPE and the guests who embark on journeys with us. | |||
05 Oct 2021 | Thailand | 00:24:59 | |
Thailand - my unexpected winter in the land of smiles I was planning to spend the winter skiing and traveling but then I received this unexpected call to go and work in Phuket. I know that sometimes opportunity only knocks once and when we say no, it never comes again. That’s why I said yes and three days later was on a Thai Airways Jumbo to Bangkok. Listen to my episode and find out what happened and how much fun I had. Yes Sir and Sawadee Ka! Check out his website: https://www.marketing-probst.ch/ Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends. I would love to hear from you You can find me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexis Instagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis | |||
25 Oct 2022 | Tatiana Stupak - The mountain climbing pianist soon to be in the Guinness Book of Records | 00:41:26 | |
Tatiana Stupak (piano) started learning the piano at age five, studying at the Special School of the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, and after that, for a further five years, continuing at the Conservatory itself. She is the winner of international music competitions including the Leipzig Bach competition. Tatiana is very well known in Cyprus, having played piano at more than 80 events in the last few years, both as a solo pianist and accompanying other musicians. Since 2018, she has played piano solos at The Big Choir Project concerts. She has developed a second major interest since early 2019: mountaineering! Her goal is to climb the 7 highest mountains of 7 continents. Having had no previous climbing experience, she succeeded in reaching the summit of the highest mountain in Europe (Elbrus) and Africa (Kilimanjaro). Just recently she climbed Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia and the highest volcano in Asia She plans next to climb the highest peak in South America, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina while playing music and she is attempting to get in the the Guiness Book of records; she loves adventures of all kinds. For example, in 2018, she took a hot-air balloon flight in Cappadocia; in the summer of 2019, she did her first sky-dive, at Kingsfield Airfield in Cyprus. She also took a trip to frozen Lake Baikal early in 2020, where she played the Russain Gusli instrument. And she leaned free diving in 2020 as well, and proved it, by being filmed playing a piano on the bed of the Mediterranean. She like to combine her musical talents with her adventures, whenever possible. She arranges charity concerts for children and for the church, and brings famous musicians from Russia, for example from the Bolshoi Theatre. She opened the Tatiana Stupak School of Music in 2018, where students can enter for examinations set by the Royal Schools of Music and by Trinity College. Students may also take part in public concerts, to gain experience in performing before audiences. In 2018, Tatiana won awards on being chosen in competition, as Russian Cultural Woman of the Year in Cyprus. In the summer of 2019, having organised fund-raising concerts on several occasions for the Institute of Neurology and Genetics, she was invited to play piano solos at a concert at the Presidential Palace, where President Anastasiades presented her with an award on behalf of the Institute. She has been interviewed many times on Cyprus radio and TV channels. Early in 2020 she was interviewed on the subject of children and music, and the interview was shown on Smile TV; previously she appeared live on TV ONE’s charity show, DanSing for You, not as a pianist, but as a dancer. Most recently, she was interviewed by RIK1 TV, and the interview was broadcast in July 2020. Also during 2020, over a period of a few weeks, she made live broadcasts on the Internet, giving illustrated talks about ten classical music composers. Tatiana maintains two YouTube channels: one for herself, and another for her music school. | |||
20 Aug 2024 | Stefan Eiselin - Founder and Publisher of aeroTELEGRAPH | 00:41:08 | |
Stefan was born and raised in Switzerland. He studied economics in Zurich and ended up in business journalism and wrote for Finanz und Wirtschaft, Berner Zeitung, Tages-Anzeiger and Handelszeitung. He loves to travel and started globetrotting as a young child with his parents. He has always been fascinated by planes and airports and became the founder and editor of aeroTELEGRAPH, an online platform all about planes, flying, airports etc. He is the author of the book “Fascination Airport - The most beautiful airports and their stories” which is available on Amazon. https://www.aerotelegraph.com/author/stefan-eiselin/page/169 | |||
30 May 2023 | Trish Mangold - Chased by birds in Australia | 00:35:52 | |
She was born in California and moved to Australia at the age of 7 where she learned that children down under walk to school. She moved back to the US in her late teens and travels all over the place. We met the first time here in Cyprus where she ended a cruise on the largest private residential yacht on earth called “The World” which she had boarded in Jeddah. We met again not long ago in Los Angeles where she lives and works as a Holistic Health Practitioner. She is an energy medicine expert and has a unique framework, rooted in enzyme therapy, peptide bio-regulation and personalized frequency medicine, that ignites our body’s healing capacity so you can overcome chronic conditions, symptoms of imbalance and boost resilience to stress and disease. We need other coaches, counselors, change makers and passionate leaders to unite in a movement, a paradigm shift away from sick-care and disease management, towards the science and proven methods that actually turn on the body’s healing and regeneration. Too many are suffering unnecessarily, falling through the gaps, and it's not good enough when there is science and proven strategies for a beautiful life instead. https://www.instagram.com/trish_mangold/ Book Your Symptom-Fix Strategy Call Now Lower chronic inflammation and toxicity 7-Day Reset |